


Never Grow Up

by im_squidward



Series: To Be Young Again [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Aunts & Uncles, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Big Brother Peter Parker, De-Aged Tony Stark, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Growing Up, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Tony Stark, Lady Loki, Like very little, M/M, Mild Smut, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Not Canon After That, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Loki (Marvel), Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Protective Avengers, Protective Peter Parker, Relationship Problems, Supportive Steve Rogers, Team as Family, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Timeline What Timeline, well sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2020-06-26 04:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 54
Words: 174,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19760170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_squidward/pseuds/im_squidward
Summary: "Now what?" Clint asked as he turned to face Steve, Nat and Bucky once Strange had left and Tony had gone back to curling in on himself and avoiding looking in their direction. "Our best friend just got turned into a four year old and is now forced to grow up all over again. We've got enemies out there who would do anything to get their hands on the child and I'm frankly freaking out here."*[or what would happen if the de-aging was permanent?]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There might be references to stuff that happened in Book 2, so I'd read that. Maybe. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That's a weird name," Tony says honestly as he loosens his hold on his legs and scrunches up his nose adorably, relaxing a bit in the man's presence despite still looking terrified. "I like it."

That it happens isn't much of a surprise to anyone. They're Avengers after all. They've seen weird. Hell, they've got two soldiers out of time, a man who turns into a giant green rage monster, two gods, a teenager who got his powers after being bit by a spider (like seriously?) and a whole bunch of weird people in their little rag tag family so they're basically experts in the weird department. To suddenly have Tony Stark as a four year old is actually less shocking than it truly is. After all, weird comes with the job description.

"So, you guys think can we reverse this?" Clint asked after taking one look at the frightened four year old in a too large shirt sitting next to the empty Iron Man suit after a long battle with some dude with magic abilities who Tony had called a Hogwarts dropout which is how it landed said genius in this situation in the first place.

"We should call Strange," Natasha mumbles after having allowed the shock to wear off and taking charge of the situation seeing as the others were still working on believing.

"How 'bout we stop talkin' 'bout him like he ain't a foot away from us," Bucky hissed at the team after noticing the way the child had curled into himself and looked at all of them with big frightened brown eyes and looking seconds away from bursting into tears. "Go call whoever ya need to call, we'll take care of this."

Natasha nodded and her and Clint headed off while the remainder of the team, Steve, Sam, Vision, Wanda and Bucky himself stayed with the kid who hadn't said a word to them since he was found by Sam five minutes ago. Steve had his 'How-Is-This-My-Life' look that he often got during weird situations either at home or on the field.

"Uh guys? Everything alright?" Bruce asked through the comms and Bucky realized that the man was still waiting on the QuinJet in case of a Code Green, but the battle had ended minutes ago and no one had informed him of what was going on with his science bro.

"We're done here, but there's been a problem. We'll be there in a few," Steve tells the man who makes an affirmative sound and then the team is all looking at each other wondering who's going to approach the kid.

"For fuck's sake," Bucky grumbled in exasperation before he slowly starts to close the distance between him and the child. "Hey kiddo."

"Who are you?" Tony asks in a small wobbly tone as he tightens his hold on his legs a tiny bit as he stares up at Bucky, gaze flickering to his metal arm momentarily and Bucky refrained himself from smiling when he saw the curious look on the child's face.

"My name is James, but my friends call me Bucky," the ex Hydra assassin says as he crouches down in front of the child with a comfortable distance between them to not keep frightening him.

"That's a weird name," Tony says honestly as he loosens his hold on his legs and scrunches up his nose adorably, relaxing a bit in the man's presence despite still looking terrified. "I like it."

Bucky chuckles at that, ignoring the gazes of their teammates on his back and instead focusing entirely on the situation. For people who fought with robots, aliens and whatever mutated creature that they came across, they sure didn't know how to act around a small human who the only thing that could do was kill them with cuteness.

"And what's your name? It's only fair that you tell me since I told you mine, right?"

"I'm Anthony."

"How do you want me to call you? Do you prefer Anthony, Tony or somethin' else?"

"Tony's good, I think."

After a few minutes of talking with the kid, who honestly was pretty close to crying after realizing he wasn't anywhere familiar (well more like he couldn't remember anything and wasn't that a huge ass problem all on its own), Bucky was able to pick him up with his consent and carry him towards the group of awaiting superheroes who'd pretended that they hadn't just eavesdropped on the whole conversation. Tony had merely clung to Bucky as he greeted the group shyly, Wanda cooing at the kid whose cheeks turned a cute rosy color.

"We should get him checked out by Bruce," Steve tells Bucky who nods as they begin to head towards the Quinjet with the metal armed super soldier explaining to the kid what was happening.

*

"There is nothing I can do to reverse this," Doctor Strange says after he takes a look at Tony who's being kept busy by the Cloak of Levitation though Bucky is standing close by because Tony wouldn't let him out of his sight without panicking. He was still scared of everyone else, but comfortable enough with Bucky which had really baffled the man since he has a metal arm and he really isn't good with kids since his post HYDRA days.

"Thought you were the sorcerer supreme or whatever shit?" Clint asked the man with a roll of his eyes and a scoff leaving his lips as he folded his arms across his chest only to make a pained noise when Natasha elbows him in the ribs rather painfully. "What?!" All she does is give him a look and he's left frowning.

"When I say that there is nothing I can do to reverse this, I mean it. This is permanent and even I can't pull off some miracle to revert him back to his original age. I'm sorry to say this, but your teammate will have to grow up all over again."

The room falls quiet at that, Steve, Natasha, Clint and Bucky all sharing looks while the kid version of their friend is playing some hand game with the Cloak. Their minds were trying to wrap themselves around the idea that this was it. This was their Tony now. No more three-four day science binges or silly nicknames or excessive amounts of coffee in substitution for actual meals. No more Iron Man.

"You could try getting a second opinion, but the answer will likely remain the same," Stephen Strange tells the group with a hint of annoyance in his tone and Bucky scoffed and rolled his eyes, now understanding why big Tony always complained so much about the man. "Whatever magic user you guys dealt with today was definitely inexperienced and probably didn't mean for this to happen. Even attempting a spell like this is very complicated and I'm guessing this was their outcome after trying multiple spells in one."

The team all nodded in resignation, turning to face the child who was now giggling as the Cloak tickled him and played with his hair.

"Now what?" Clint asked as he turned to face Steve, Nat and Bucky once Strange had left and Tony had gone back to curling in on himself and avoiding looking in their direction. "Our best friend just got turned into a four year old and is now forced to grow up all over again. We've got enemies out there who would do anything to get their hands on the child and I'm frankly freaking out here."

"Well don't. We'll call for a meeting, discuss what Strange told us to the rest and go from there," Natasha says in a low tone, sending a glare at Clint who nodded quickly and stole a quick glance at the kid who was playing with his fingers and looking around the medical area with wide brown eyes.

"In the meantime, we should probably feed the kid and see if the others managed to order him some clothes," Steve cuts in with a sigh, running a hand down his face in exhaustion and shares a quick glance with Bucky who nods before heading over to Tony who brightened up when he saw the man approach him.

*

Pepper and Rhodey arrive shortly after they step onto the communal floor where the rest of the team is, Tony clinging to Bucky's legs and hiding behind them as everyone's eyes fell on him. No one said anything for a few long tense seconds, before Bucky glared at them knowing that they were making the kid even more nervous than he already was.

"So," Pepper cleared her throat as she looked at them instead of the kid who used to be an adult and her ex boyfriend. "I ordered dinner, should be here soon. Figured you guys haven't eaten in awhile and don't know what to feed the little one."

"Thank you, Pepper," Steve tells her gratefully and she smiles at him.

Bucky tuned out the team as they explained to Pepper and Rhodey what Strange had told them as a small hand tugged at the bottom of his shirt. Looking down, he locked eyes with Tony who was squirming in his place a little and the ex Hydra assassin raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"What's up kid?" Bucky asked him quietly as he crouched down to his level, understanding that Tony probably didn't want to attract too much attention to himself at the moment even though his dancing was bound to attract their stares.

"I need to go potty," Tony tells him in a loud whisper, face showing how urgent he needed to use the bathroom right now and Bucky's eyes widened. "Please."

"Alright alright. Come on."

Bucky ushers the kid down the hall quickly and leads him into the large bathroom, briefly wondering if Tony would need help, but his silent question was quickly answered by the kid rushing in and closing the door after him. The long haired Avenger chuckled fondly and shook his head as he waited outside for Tony to finish his business. Down the hall he could hear Clint arguing with Sam about something that he'd rather not know about and Natasha groaning about immature boys. Just a _somewhat_ normal day at Avengers Tower.

The bathroom door opens and Tony steps out looking relieved though his cheeks were a little more pink than earlier. He looked quite adorable in the too large shirt he was still wearing, a black faded Black Sabbath t-shirt that Tony had been wearing before the call to assemble had come through giving him no time to change into his undersuit before taking off.

"All done, kid?" Bucky asked him and Tony nodded. "Wash your hands?" Another nod. "With soap?" Nod. "You dry them good?"

"Bucky!" Tony whines, giggling after at the silly adult asking him all those questions. Bucky merely chuckled and motions for the kid to head back towards the living room where he can hear the sound of bags and Wanda complaining about the amount of Avengers merch they'd gotten the kid.

Tony ignores the mess on the floor and his eyes zero in on a slightly larger than normal stuffed bear with caramel colored fur and large black eyes sitting next to Clint on the couch. Bucky smiles as he watches Tony grab it and hug it tight to his chest once Clint tells him that it's for him. Guess they'd need to buy the kid some toys now that this was a permanent thing.

"Don't ya think you went overboard with buyin' all this Avengers merch?" Bucky asks as he eyes the many bags sitting on the living room floor with their faces on it. They all shrug and meanwhile Bucky keeps looking at all the clothes and toys they got Tony with an amused smile on his face. The team really were helpless with simple every day tasks.

They eat pizza for dinner, Tony sitting happily on Bucky's lap as he does so, finally relaxing enough to giggle and talk with the others and realize that they weren't going to hurt him despite them still being complete strangers to him. After that, Bucky bathes the kid and tucks him in the guest room on his and Steve's floor before telling FRIDAY to alert him if Tony woke up before meeting everyone else in the conference room on the communal floor.

"We need to talk about what we're going to do now," Steve begins once everyone is seated and going straight from Steve Rogers to Captain America. He was seated at the head of the table with Natasha and Sam on either side and Bucky next to Sam. Pepper sits at the other end of the table with her tablet and in full business mode with Rhodey to her right and the others filling up the rest of the seats. Only one remained open and they all avoided looking at it knowing that the person who normally sat there was up a few floors fast asleep and currently four years old.

"Doctor Strange said this was permanent?" Rhodey asks them and Natasha nods in confirmation.

"Yes. He can't do anything to reverse this either," Natasha informs Rhodey and Pepper who sigh. "Said we could look for a second opinion, but the answer would remain the same."

"If this is our Tony now, he's going to need a family that can take care of him and raise him," Pepper tells the team who all fall quiet and Bucky doesn't want that. He doesn't want for Tony to be taken away with some family and never see him again. "He's going to need parents and start a normal life as soon as possible. School and anything else a kid his age does. I would love to take Tony in, but with the company, I'm constantly traveling and I wouldn't want that life for a four year old or to be leaving him at home with a nanny."

"And I'm still military. I'm only here because I told them I had a family emergency," Rhodey says sadly, looking guilty at the prospect of not being able to offer the child who was once his best friend something more. "I mean I could take him and leave him with my ma while I'm away, but I would barely get to see the kid and that's not fair to him. If he's getting a second chance at a childhood, then he needs to get the one he always deserved with loving parents who won't leave him with the butler at every chance or neglect him."

"I could put him in the system and make sure he gets a great family."

"No," Bucky says quickly and they all turn to look at him like he's gone crazy. He probably has, but he's not going to let Tony get taken from their lives, not when he's already feeling protective of that innocent child. "I'll take in the kid as my own, but there is no way in hell I'm gonna let you send him off to someone else. He's still Tony Stark, just because he's a kid doesn't mean that we're gonna drop him off at someone's doorstep to deal with him because he's no longer useful to us. He did a lot for me and I'm not gonna turn my back on him now."

"Buck, are you sure? I mean, taking care of a kid isn't easy and-"

"Steve, you're not gonna change my mind," Bucky interrupts his best friend. "I'll raise that kid as my own. I won't be at ease if we send him off to some family even if Pepper did an extensive background check on even their ancestors. Tony doesn't deserve that."

"I agree with Bucky," Wanda speaks up shyly, cheeks turning a little red as everyone turns to look at her. "I-I know I had my differences with him at the start and up until now we still didn't have the best relationship, but he still opened up his home to me after everything I did and said to him and I wouldn't feel okay knowing that we just handed him off to someone else like he was just an old toy we no longer needed."

Pepper sighed and rubbed at her temples but even she felt relieved knowing that at least one of them was willing to stand up for Tony. The thought of having to find a family willing to adopt him had been scary to think about. She could make up a whole fake ID for the kid and still have whoever he ended up with find out who he really was and use that to their advantage.

"I must agree with Sergeant Barnes and Wanda," Vision says with a nod. "I do not deal with human emotions but even I understand that it would be unfair when he has done so much for everyone in this room."

"It's probably not that hard to take care of a kid and there's a whole bunch of us and we can all help look after and raise the Hobbit," Clint chips in, trying to convince the rest who weren't on board, which by the looks of it were only Steve and Natasha. "And honestly speaking, I wouldn't be comfortable not knowing if whoever decided to adopt him treated the kid right or not."

Pepper turned to look at Bucky, her expression telling him that she was thankful that he'd spoken up and he nodded at her in a silent form of reassurance.

"If you're absolutely sure, I will get my lawyers and start working up the paperwork for his adoption and deal with the rest of the legal stuff with them. Shouldn't take too long to get everything sorted out," Pepper tells Bucky who bods in thanks.

"I'm sure about this."

Pepper smiles and starts typing up an email in her tablet, probably to the lawyers and Bucky relaxes.

"Okay," Steve finally agrees. "But what about the public? What are we going to tell them? And Stark Industries? I don't think it safe to just outright tell them that Tony Stark is a child."

"I'll set up a meeting with the lawyers and PR team tomorrow to see how we can proceed from here, but for now we'll release a statement saying that Tony suffered some minor injuries in a recent mission and will be out of the spotlight until he recovers. After that the PR team will handle how we break this to the public. It won't be easy and assuming the PR team release a statement of what actually happened, you guys will have to be careful with Tony. There's a lot of people out there who could use this to their advantage," Pepper warns them and they all nod, completely aware that the next few weeks, possibly months, would be difficult to deal with. "As for SI, I will remain CEO until he becomes of age and can take over the company again if he decides to do so."

"God this is strange," Rhodey mumbles and the room is filled with soft chuckles at his statement. "What of his memories though? Does he remember anything from his past?"

"We were lucky that he remembered his name. He's pretty much a blank canvas and Strange said that his mind had been practically wiped so whatever memories he'll get will be from today onward," Natasha says as she looks at Pepper who nods. "No chance of regaining his old ones either."

"At least he won't know about all the traumatizing parts of his past life."

Once Steve dismisses them a few minutes later, Bucky walks towards the elevator and heads to his and Steve's floor.

"FRIDAY, how's Tony?" He asks the AI as he leans against the elevator wall tiredly and closes his eyes, still trying to comprehend everything that's happened in just a few hours. When he woke up this morning, who would have told him the situation they'd find themselves in by the end of the day.

This morning actually felt like so long ago. He'd woken up at around nine this morning and headed straight to the communal floor for breakfast where he'd found Tony sitting at the counter with a StarkPad and rambling to Bruce about some new project he was working on while the scientist worked on breakfast. Bucky had sat next to the engineer and smiled as Tony had leaned against his shoulder, complaining about being tired and Bucky had scolded him about proper sleeping habits. It all felt like a different lifetime now.

"The little boss is still asleep, Sergeant Barnes," FRIDAY replies quickly and Bucky thanks her as the doors open on his floor and he steps out.

He heads over towards Tony's room and peeks inside, a soft smile forming on his lips when he sees the four year old fast asleep sprawled on the bed like a starfish with his bear next to him and mouth slightly open. He's dressed in Hulk themed pajamas that Bruce had blushed at when they'd been pulled out of the bag. There was a small lamp on the nightstand that was on, casting a soft glow around the room and Bucky made a mental note to get him a nightlight.

"Oh kiddo, it's gonna be hard, but I promise to be the best dad I can be," Bucky says softly as he sits on the edge of the bed and traces a metal finger over Tony's palm, breath hitching a little when the kid's tiny fingers curl unconsciously around his in a loose hold and that's when Bucky knows that he made the right choice as the small action fills him with warmth and a kind of love that he's never experienced before. The kind that's so pure and unconditional. "Gonna give you the whole damn world Tones, because you deserve it and you'll never have to think about how much of a shitty father Howard was." Bucky leans down and kisses Tony's forehead before leaving the room quietly and leaving the door slightly ajar.

Steve gets to their floor an hour later and finds him at the kitchen island with a StarkPad and buying various things for the kid with FRIDAY's help.

"You should do that in the morning," Steve says in clear amusement as he walks over to the fridge to grab a water bottle.

"I'm not tired and I don't think I'll be able to sleep anyways," Bucky explains as he sighs and looks up at Steve who stands across from him with a slight unreadable expression. It's more like it's confusing and Bucky, despite his decades of training and of knowing the man, can't decipher it for the life of him. Is he upset that he decided to adopt Tony? Is Steve relieved? Happy? Jealous? He's not sure.

"You know, I'm real proud of ya, Buck," Steve eventually says after a few long stretches of silence as he sets his bottle on the counter and stares at his best friend. "I know I might have seemed like a real jerk earlier, but it's not about Tony staying with us because fuck was I terrified of thinking about him being sent off to someone else. I was just worried about you. Wasn't sure if you felt ready to take on this challenge when you just got cleared recently to join the team on the field, but you staying firm by your choice made me realize that you're more than ready for this and we'll all be here for you. We have your back because that's what family does."

"Trynna make me cry, punk?" Bucky teases though his voice sounds a little wobbly and tears prick at his eyes. Steve chuckles and shakes his head as he grabs his bottle and gets ready to head to his room. "Thanks though and I know I can count on all of ya."

"And who knows? Maybe this will get Loki to finally give you a yes. You know kids are great for attracting dates," Steve jokes and barely dodges an apple that Bucky throws his away as he rushes into the hallway, trying to keep quiet for fear of waking up the four year old.

"Asshole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was just basically a rewrite of Chapter 6 of To Be Young Again in case it sounded familiar. Hope you guys like this new version of the story :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You sure we can't adopt Peter, too?" Bucky asks against Loki's lips and the mage chuckles and shakes his head before kissing his boyfriend again.

"Congratulations, you two are now parents to a healthy and smart little boy," Pepper tells the couple sitting in front of her with a large smile as she slides a dark blue colored folder over to Bucky and Loki who look at her with wide eyes.

"He's- He's all ours now?" Bucky asks her in complete disbelief as Loki opens up the folder and stares at the legal documents that state that Tony is now Anthony Edward Barnes. Loki had been against adding the Lokison at the end no matter how much Bucky had insisted.

"As of today, you are now legally Tony's parents."

It's been nearly seven months since they found a de-aged Tony Stark and nearly seven long months of the adoption process. Loki had returned from Asgard two weeks after it had all happened, had taken one look at the four year old and had basically become Tony's second parent and the kid adored the God of Mischief. And to Bucky it'd been easy to ask Loki to sign the adoption papers with him so the two could have legal rights to the kid. And Steve had been right, Tony had helped Loki and Bucky to get closer until they eventually started dating, Loki made the first move after Bucky went MIA during a mission.

"And Steve signed the paperwork to be Tony's legal guardian in case anything happens to either of you, god forbid," Pepper tells them and they nod, still a little speechless and trying to wrap their minds around the fact that they had a kid. That they were a family now. "You guys are all set now, go be with your son."

"Thank you, Pepper," they both said before grabbing the folder and leaving the conference room that Pepper had called them into to give them the good news.

"He's all ours now, doll," Bucky says as they stand in the middle of the hall and he cups Loki's face in his hands, a large smile on his face.

"He is our son now," Loki repeats as he too smiles from ear to ear, his hands cupping Bucky's and meeting him in the middle until their lips crashed in an eager kiss.

"You sure we can't adopt Peter, too?" Bucky asks against Loki's lips and the mage chuckles and shakes his head before kissing his boyfriend again.

"Come, we should go inform Anthony and the rest of our family of the good news," Loki says as he pulls away from Bucky and starts heading down the hall towards the elevator, Bucky following a second or two after with a large grin on his face.

They find their son on the communal floor laughing loudly as Sam has him hanging upside down. Steve looks like he's about to have a heart attack or get up any second to grab Tony away from his friend while Natasha and Clint look a little too amused by whatever the hell is going on.

"Hi!" Tony greets his parents happily, waving at them with both arms and reaching out for them with grabby hands. "Help me!"

"What are you doin' to my kid?" Bucky asks Sam as he takes Tony and holds him on his hip, the four year old still laughing and his face bright red from hanging upside down for who knows how long.

"The shrimp thought he could sneak up on me, but no one can sneak up on Falcon!" Sam exclaims, jumping when Clint comes up behind him suddenly and pokes his ribs.

It just sends Tony into hysterics, nearly falling out of Bucky's arms from leaning forward too much. The others look at him fondly and laugh along with him, even Sam who's pride is probably wounded now that Clint proved him wrong.

"What did Pepper want?" Natasha asks the couple when they sit on the loveseat with Tony cuddled between them and playing with Bucky's phone, probably sending Peter silly Snapchat pictures like he always did. They'd all been together when FRIDAY had told Bucky and Loki that Pepper had requested their presence in one of the conference rooms about an hour ago.

"The paperwork is official, Tony is officially our kid now," Bucky informs the team, well part of the team since who knows where Wanda, Vision, Bruce and Thor are, who all congratulate the two and Tony simply looks confused about what's going on as he looks around at all of them.

"This calls for a celebration then," Natasha says as she stands up, a large smile on her face and the others quickly agree with her. "FRIDAY, can you order our usual from that Chinese place? And order a cake from that bakery we all love, please?"

"On it, Agent Romanoff," FRIDAY replies quickly.

"What are we celebrating?" Tony asks curiously as he moves to sit on Loki's lap, Bucky's phone now forgotten between them. "Is it somebody's birthday? Cause I like birthdays and we only eat cakes on birthdays."

"No kid, it's no one's birthday," Bucky says fondly as he moves closer to the two now that Tony vacated his previous spot, unaware that the others had left the room to give the three some privacy. "You remember when we told ya 'bout how we would like to be your parents?"

"But you are my parents, silly," Tony tells him with a small giggle as he cups Bucky's face in his small hands and the two adults laugh.

"You are right, Anthony, but it was not on any official documents and you remember when we talked about adoption?" Loki questions the four year old says that he remembers. It'd been a pretty difficult conversation one night a few months ago when Tony had asked about who his parents were and after explaining that they were both dead, Loki and Bucky had told him that they wanted to adopt Tony so he could become their son legally so no one could take him away. Tony had asked what adoption was and Loki had, a little painfully and with some changes to the story, used himself as an example. "Well, back then we told you that Pepper was helping us to make that possible and when she came over today, she gave us the papers that stated that you are now officially and legally our son."

"So I'm Anthony Barnes now?!" Tony asked excitedly as he looked between his mama and papa with big round eyes.

"Sure are, Bambi," Bucky replied with a smile as he locked eyes with Loki's stunning green ones for a brief second before Tony launched himself into Bucky's arms and hugged him tight. "You're all ours now, kid."

Bucky pulls Loki into the hug, pressing a kiss to the prince's head and then their son's. Now the next step in Bucky's plan was to ask Loki to marry him, but that could wait a bit more.

*

"I'm real happy for you, Buck," Steve says awhile later when it's just the two in the kitchen cleaning up the mess from dinner while Clint and Sam bicker over the video game they're playing while Tony cheers them on. Wanda, Vision and Bruce had returned to the tower just before dinner and had quickly joined the celebration. Thor apparently had gone to visit Jane so he'd be MIA for the next three days or so. "You've got a great thing going on for ya here."

"Yeah? I'm not so sure how I got so lucky, honest. Who knew I'd fall in love with one of my best friends and that another one would become my kid," Bucky says with a small chuckle as he shakes his head in disbelief and Steve laughs along with him. Even for Avengers standards, this is still pretty crazy. "Tony's really come to brighten up our days a little more. Remind us that not everything out there is violence and pain."

"He really has. We'll do good by him, give him the proper childhood he always deserved."

"We will. We won't make Howard's mistakes."

"Papa. Uncle Steve," Tony says as he walks into the kitchen looking annoyed and the two adults hold back a laugh. "Clint says to hurry your asses up 'cause we'll start the movie without you. And also mama wants popcorn. The caramel kind."

Bucky raised an eyebrow at the kid and said, "First of all, don't repeat everythin' Clint says. Second of all, your mama doesn't like the caramel popcorn."

"Okay fine," Tony sighs dramatically as he rolls his eyes. "I want the caramel popcorn."

"What's the magic word?" Steve asks the child with a smile. He was probably never going to get used to being called Uncle Steve. He'll deny it over and over, but the first time Tony called him that he nearly cried.

"Please."

Bucky, because he likes to spoil his little boy, sue him, got to work on getting Tony's favorite kind of popcorn. He doesn't understand how people like caramel popcorn, but to each their own.

Once they finish cleaning up and gather the snacks they'd need for their movie night, the three head back to the living room with Tony carrying his own bowl of caramel popcorn. The four year old sat next to Loki who shifted to be able to cuddle him and share the gray knitted throw blanket. Bucky and Steve handed off everyone's respective snacks before the metal armed soldier sat next to his boyfriend and child.

"So what are we watching?" Steve asks the room as he settles on the other couch with Natasha and Clint.

"Jurassic Park," Sam replies as he sits on the ground with his back resting against the couch Steve, Nat and Clint were on.

Somehow, Tony manages to convince his parents to let him stay up past his bedtime and before Bucky knows it, he's waking up on the couch with the time now being past eleven. Looking around the room, most of the team had passed out as well, Loki and Tony being no exception. The TV was playing a different movie but only Nat and Steve were watching.

"Loki, babe," Bucky calls quietly as he runs a hand through Loki's black hair to wake him up.

"I will stab you," Loki mumbles sleepily as he gets comfortable on the couch with Tony and Bucky smiles fondly.

"I know you will, but we should get Tony to bed. It's late and we can't sleep on the couch again, we don't want to deal with your bitchin' in the morning."

"Naughty," Tony slurs out as he struggles to open his eyes and glare at his father who rolls his eyes and ignores Natasha's amused snort.

"Yeah yeah, come on." Bucky picks up the four year old who lays his head on Bucky's shoulder and falls asleep right away.

Loki follows after them, mainly because Bucky grabs his hand and drags him along. Also because Tony's bedroom is on Loki's floor and Bucky is not exactly sure how that even happened, but some time after Loki and Thor returned post Tony getting de-aged, the kid decided that he wanted to stay on Loki's floor. Bucky suspects it's also because he made a face like he wanted to cry when Tony found out Loki lived alone since Steve, Bucky and Sam (when he stays at the tower) share a floor.

"I will get his pajamas," Loki says as they enter Tony's room.

The walls are painted a light gray with glow in the dark stars painted on the ceiling thanks to Steve. The full size bed was pushed up against a wall with Star Wars themed covers and his beloved Mister Snuggles resting against the pillows. There was a kid sized table with two chairs, one yellow and one red, by the large window with a half unfinished puzzle on it. A bookshelf with the whole Harry Potter collection along with other children's books, coloring books and puzzle boxes on it. His toy box was filled to the brim with toys and the lid no longer closed which should hint to Bucky that maybe they've been buying him too many things. The bathroom connected to Tony's room was also a mess with bath toys on the ground and dirty clothes overflowing from the hamper.

"Goodnight kid," Bucky says softly as he leans down to kiss Tony's forehead once he was changed and tucked in bed next to his bear.

"Have a good night, darling," Loki comes next with a soft smile on his face and the couple leave the room after FRIDAY turned off the lights, just a small nightlight that cast a soft blue glow around the room.

"I will see you in the mornin', gonna go make sure that Stevie and Sam don't spend the rest of the night on the couch or Clint draws dicks on their faces again," Bucky tells his boyfriend who nods and walks him towards the elevator. "Love you, sleep tight."

"Love you too," Loki replies and pecks Bucky's lips before watching the man go and then heading into his own room to change and go to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> timeline wise with the last story, this one starts off late April, before Tony's birthday and before they head off to Malibu *side eye emoji x2*. Tony's now officially a Barnes tho and Bucky wants to adopt Peter, but in this house we love and respect Aunt May and the fantastic job she's done at raising a teenager that's not even related to her by blood and so we'll keep respecting Aunt May because she's awesome. THanks for coming to my TED talk
> 
> i keep forgetting the dog, please excuse me for that😂😂


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So that is a yes to moving in?" Loki asks him as she pulls away from where she's hiding her face to look at her boyfriend with large green eyes and a small affectionate smile playing on her lips.

The next morning Bucky wakes up late, having had decided the day before during the celebration that he would be skipping his morning run with Steve and Sam just so he could stay in with his family. So when he wakes up that morning, not only is he surprised that Loki's still in bed since he wakes up pretty early as well to do some yoga with Bruce and drink his tea, but he's also slightly surprised that it's Lady Loki next to him. So he slides a hand under her shirt and settles it on her waist, just staring at her peaceful expression.

"I can feel you staring," Loki mumbles without even opening her eyes or moving an inch. "And I did not realize I would have company last night."

"Well the loves of my life are on a whole different floor than me and after all the good news from yesterday, I didn't exactly feel like leavin' ya guys."

Loki smiled and moved closer until she could bury her face into her boyfriend's neck where she mumbled, "Just move in with us. Most of your stuff is already here anyways and you sleep with me three out of seven nights a week."

"I know, but I guess I just didn't want to rush you since we just got together not even a month ago," Bucky replies honestly as he moves his hand until it settles on her back where he traces up and down her spine. "But I love you so much it's crazy, Lo. If it were up to me, we'd go get married right now."

Loki let out a small tired giggle as she brought a hand up to rest on Bucky's bare chest where she began to tap out a random pattern with her index finger.

"So that is a yes to moving in?" Loki asks him as she pulls away from where she's hiding her face to look at her boyfriend with large green eyes and a small affectionate smile playing on her lips.

"A big fat yes," Bucky replies as a giant lazy grin spreads over his lips before he's rolling Loki onto her back and he's hoovering above her. "I say we go out for breakfast and tell Tony of the news of me moving in, first official outing as a family and have a nice day out just the three of us before comin' back and switchin' my things over."

"Lovely plan," Loki agrees, eyes slipping shut as Bucky leans down to press kisses along her neck and bringing her hands up to tangle her fingers into his long hair.

Bucky starts nipping at her neck teasingly, smirking when her breath hitches slightly and she brings her left leg up to wrap around his waist and pulls him down closer to her. He brings his right hand down to her bare thigh where he grips it a little tightly in the way she likes.

"You think we have time?" Bucky asked his girlfriend as he trailed kisses along her exposed collarbone and shoulder, the shirt she was wearing much too big on her thin body so it slipped. He was hard against her hip and all he wanted was to make her his.

Loki was about to reply when they hear tiny giggles and feet running down the hall towards the living room. Bucky groans and rolls off of Loki who laughs as she gets out of bed.

"Go take a cold shower, I will get Anthony dressed for our day out," Loki tells him as she heads for the door, using her magic to change from her sleepwear to dark skinny jeans and a white blouse.

They leave the tower about an hour later in one of Tony's less flashy and a bit more family friendly cars, the four year old sitting happily in the backseat humming along to whatever pop song was playing on the radio. Bucky and Loki blamed Tony's change in music preference on Peter and his friends since anytime the child hung out with them, he came back humming a new song that plays nearly every ten minutes on the radio. Tony's newest obsession was an Ed Sheeran song.

"Where are we going?" Tony asks curiously as he stares out the window, noticing that they're headed out of Manhattan.

"To breakfast in Brooklyn. You remember that little diner that we went to a month ago?" Bucky asked the kid who made a noise that indicated that he did remember.

"The one you an' Uncle Steve went to when you were Petey's age!"

"Such a smart boy, darling," Loki praised as she twisted around in her seat to look at the four year old who blushed at the praise but beamed at her nonetheless.

If they were going to fix past mistakes, Loki and Bucky liked to praise the child even if it was just a simple drawing of a flower or helping Peter with his math. They were proud parents, so sue them.

They reach the diner pretty quick, the morning traffic still not being bad. Tony walks happily in between his parents, holding their hands and still humming to himself.

"Darling, your birthday is coming up in a few weeks," Loki reminds Tony as the three sit and wait for their food. "Anything in particular you would like?"

"Dunno," Tony admitted and he really didn't need or want anything. He was happy now that he officially had parents and that said parents were finally together. "I want cake though. Chocolate cake."

"Of course you do," Bucky replies in between chuckles as he stared at the child who sat across from him and next to Loki. "No worries though, you'll get the best chocolate cake."

"An' I want Peter an' Aunt May an' Ned an' MJ an'-"

"Okay, no worries. We'll invite everyone you know and love. What about Fury?"

"Hmm, he's scary, but he gave me candy once so." Tony shrugs.

Their food arrives a few minutes later and Loki helps the four year old cut his pancakes into smaller pieces and stops him from drenching them in syrup. The last time someone didn't pay attention to how much syrup he poured over his pancakes, it'd taken forever to get the kid clean and for the sugar wear off. They don't need him bouncing off the walls all day.

"Anthony, your father and I were talking earlier this morning about something," Loki begins to say as she grabs a napkin and wipes a bit of syrup off of Tony's cheek.

"'Bout what?" Tony asks her curiously as he stares up at his mother.

"Your father is moving in with us."

"You're going to live with us now, papa?"

"That's right, Bambi. Your mom and I figured it was time now. What do ya think?"

"Finally! Uncle Steve says you guys are slow an' it's true." Tony shrugs as he grabs a piece of bacon from his plate and starts munching on it. "Said if it weren't for me you guys would still only be friends. Clint says you guys are dumb."

"What a lovely family we have," Bucky mumbles as Loki's face turns a slight shade of pink. She was aware that the rest of the Avengers thought that her and Bucky had taken forever getting together, but to have them talk about their relationship like that behind their backs and to their kid? Well frankly it was a bit embarrassing. "But yes kid, as soon as we get back to the tower I will be switching my things to your mom's room."

"An' does that mean I'll be getting a baby brother or sister soon?" Tony asks them innocently, looking at the two with big brown eyes.

"Uh that's not- we're not..." Bucky struggled to come up with an explanation as to why that wasn't happening yet because a) they definitely weren't ready to add a baby into the mix, b) they've already had this conversation and c) Loki's parents still hadn't met Tony and they weren't sure how Odin would react.

"Darling, we have talked about this," Loki says gently as she faces the child who frowns. "Maybe some day in the future, right now that is not in our plans."

"If you say so." Tony shrugs but doesn't keep asking and Bucky sends Loki a thankful look because he always freezes up with the awkward questions.

The rest of breakfast goes by fast and easy and Tony forgets about the baby topic. They're on their way to the car when Bucky's watch beeps with an Avengers alert and the adults sigh.

"Steve says he's sorry for interrupting our day, but he needs us both to meet up with the team upstate. Something about AIM causing trouble again," Bucky informs Loki who sighs and nods.

"Can I go to Peter's then?" Tony asks them with a hint of disappointment in his tone and Bucky wants to just say screw Steve, but the blonde also only calls Bucky and Loki out when they absolutely need them since the couple took a step back from active duty once Tony came into their lives.

"I will drop him off and catch up with you quickly," Loki tells Bucky who nods and watches the two disappear from in front of him in a green mist before he rushes off to the car.

*

"We will be back as quick as we can, alright darling?" Loki crouches down and reassures Tony who shrugs a little and heads inside the apartment, the mage standing up and locking gaze with May who smiles sadly at him.

"He's upset, but it'll go away soon. You guys have been called out more frequently," May says and Loki nods with a sigh. "He'll be fine, don't worry about him."

When May walks into her apartment, her heart breaks a little when she hears soft crying coming from a corner in the living room. Peter was out with his friends and she wasn't sure how long he'd be out, so she'd have to do her best to comfort the little boy.

"Come here, jellybean," May says softly as she sits on the couch and holds her arms out towards the child who's huddled in between the arm chair and book shelf.

Tony crawled out of the tight spot and rushed over to May where he started crying into her shoulder. The woman's arms wrapped tightly around the smaller body and sat him on her lap as she hummed gently. When Peter had been younger, the best way to calm him down was to hum a song and she'd learned awhile ago that Tony was the same way.

"They'll be back soon, jellybean," May says softly as she rocks the child back and forth. "You know they would love to be with you, but sometimes they get called in when the others absolutely need them."

"B-But it's scary!" Tony wailed as he pulled back to look at May who wiped his tears away. "Papa didn't come back that one time!"

And oh, now May gets it. It's only been about a month since Bucky had gone missing during a mission and hadn't returned until a week later. Tony was scared that the same would happen again, but this time to both his parents. Or maybe even the whole team. And she understood him because every time Peter went out, she worried about her nephew, but how do you reassure a _child_ that his parents will be back without making it sound like a promise? She can't promise him that they won't get hurt or god forbid, go missing.

"Hey, it's okay. They'll be back in no time, you'll see," she eventually tells him, pressing a kiss to his forehead before pulling him back into her arms where he kept crying and calling out for his mommy and papa.

That's how Peter found them half an hour later when he returned. He immediately rushed over to them and asked what was wrong.

"Bucky and Loki got called in for a mission and Tony isn't taking it too well," May explains to her nephew who holds his arms out for Tony and May transfers the child over to her nephew.

"Hi spider baby," Peter greets him with a small smile as he presses a kiss to Tony's wet cheek. "You want to watch a movie? Take a nap? Build that LEGO set I told ya about the other day?"

Tony shook his head as he buried his face in Peter's chest and gripped his t-shirt tightly. Peter turned on the TV anyway and just cuddled his upset little brother, playing with his hair until Tony's grip on his shirt relaxed and he fell asleep. Even Peter was starting to fall asleep himself when there was a knock on their front door and May rushed off to open it before whoever it was woke up Tony.

"Come in," Peter heard his aunt say and he craned his neck to the right to see Bucky walk in looking tired and with a few scratches but otherwise okay. "Tony's asleep right now, but he was pretty upset after Loki dropped him off."

"Yeah ever since I went missing we've taken Tony to talk to someone once a week but we may have to up his sessions. The last thing we want is to keep traumatizin' the poor kid," Bucky explained as he walked over to the couch where Peter was sitting at with Tony curled up on his lap. "Hey spider brat."

"Old man," Peter greets him with a smirk and May rolls her eyes at the pair. "Where's mom?"

"Outside with Steve, took a nasty hit but refused to go straight to medical. Said he'd heal quicker on his own than with Bruce and Doctor Cho poking him," Bucky explains with a roll of his eyes and Peter giggles and buries his face in Tony's hair.

"Gee, I wonder where Tony gets that stubbornness from," May jokes and Bucky chuckles as he sits next to Peter to take the four year old from the teen.

"Loki and Tony are two peas in a pod," Bucky says fondly as he starts to gently pry Tony away from Peter, the kid whining at the loss of contact and warmth. "Shh, it's okay, Bambi."

Tony settled once Bucky had pulled him in close to his chest, mumbling something about candy and cheeseburgers which made Peter snort in amusement. Bucky stood up and settled Tony on his hip.

"Oh, we've got no school this coming Friday, so I'll be at the tower since Thursday evening," Peter informed Bucky who teasingly made an annoyed face that had Peter rolling his eyes and pouting at.

"Oh no, a whole three days with you and Tony causin' problems? I hope the place is still standing by Monday."

May laughed as she walked Bucky towards the door, Tony lost in his dream with his head on Bucky's shoulder.

"Thanks for watchin' the kid," Bucky tells May who waves him off with a smile.

"You know it's no problem. I love Tony and anytime you guys need me, I'll be here," May informs Bucky who nods in thanks and smiles back at her.

"We finally got the adoption papers yesterday, so Tony's legally our son."

"Congratulations, Bucky! You and Loki must be relieved."

"We are. Our biggest worry was somethin' happenin' to us before the papers came through."

"It all worked out though and I'm really happy for you guys. You're doing a fantastic job with the jellybean and I know that it isn't easy for either of you to get called out, especially now when he's been so sensitive to you guys leaving, but don't feel guilty about it. You guys are doing everything you can to make him happy and he understands why you two have to go out, he's just a little scared."

"Yeah and if Loki hasn't healed by now, Tony's going to throw a fit," Bucky informs the woman who smiles gently. "Thanks again for watchin' him."

"Go be with your boys."

"Tell mom I said hi!" Peter shouts from inside the apartment and the two adults laugh at the teen.

Once outside, Bucky finds Loki and Steve leaning against the car and talking in hushed voices. Loki's still got a bruise on his left cheekbone that's only getting darker and he's got an arm wrapped around his midsection which indicates at least one broken rib. While AIM wasn't usually a threat, today they'd put up one hell of a fight and everyone came out with at least one sprained body part. Steve himself was favoring his right foot, keeping his weight off of his left.

"Papa?" Tony mumbled tiredly, eyes squinting up at Bucky as he tried to blink away the sleepiness and the sun.

"Hmm, hi Bambi. Have a good nap?" Bucky asked the kid who nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck in a tight embrace. "Someone missed me."

"I always miss you."

"Adorable," Steve teases with a smirk and Bucky glares at him.

"Hi Uncle Steve! Hi mama!" Tony greets the other two now more awake and excited to see three of his favorite adults.

"You ready to go home, darling? We can relax and watch a movie while your father moves his things," Loki suggested and Bucky glared at his boyfriend while Steve laughed. "I am injured James, surely you do not expect me to help you lift heavy things. Be a good boyfriend, dear."

"Yeah Buck, don't be so inconsiderate."

"Do ya see this, Bambi? They're all so mean to me," Bucky told his kid, fake crying to gain some sympathy from Tony who all he did was pat his head a few times and laugh. "Unbelievable. Even my own kid has no real sympathy for me."

"Stop being dramatic and let's go home."

Bucky got Tony settled in the backseat and Steve sat next to the kid who immediately began to talk his ear off while Bucky took the driver's seat and Loki the passenger seat.

"You need to let Bruce run some scans once we get home. I know you can heal yourself, but you're exhausted and I'd rather not risk you turning yourself into another cat/bird hybrid thing like last time," Bucky reprimanded his boyfriend who rolled his eyes.

"That was once, James," Loki argued with a roll of his eyes.

"Nuh uh, princess. I've had enough traumatic experiences in my life, I don't need you addin' another one to the list."

"Crybaby."

Tony giggles from the backseat while Steve sighs, wondering why he got stuck with those two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had an amazing nap, hope you guys are having a great day !!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Then do what you want with _your_ son but do not come crying to me when a thirteen year old Anthony decides he no longer wants to finish school," Loki spits out angrily as he starts heading down the hall to his room.

It was well into dinner time when Bucky had finished switching his things from his bedroom to Loki's with absolutely no help. His boyfriend and son were curled together on the couch watching cartoons and Steve had claimed that his ankle still hurt (even though he was most definitely healed by now) while the rest were scattered around the tower tending to their own wounds. Luckily all he really had to pack were his clothes, a few books, a journal where he'd write down dreams or past memories and a few picture frames. Getting them sorted into Loki's room was what took longer because Loki's closet was full of clothes and not enough space despite the walk in closets in every bedroom being big enough to make another bedroom out of it. Once done, he walked out into the living room and sat beside the loves of his life with a tired grunt and Tony giggled from where he was curled up into Loki's side.

"All done, dear?" Loki asked his boyfriend with a smile as he turned to face the soldier who glared at him playfully.

"Would have gone a lot faster had you helped and made space in your closet. You have too much clothes, doll," Bucky complained and Loki rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to the TV.

"Says the man who only wears the same t-shirt and sweatpants."

"I'm hungry," Tony informed them which promptly stopped their argument of too much/not enough clothes.

"Alright. What do you want for dinner, Bambi?" Bucky asked the kid who thought for a second, index finger tapping at his chin as he looked up at the ceiling and the metal armed soldier smiled fondly.

"Pizza?"

"Sounds good. Lo?"

"Get my usual."

"Still don't get why you like pineapple on your pizza," Bucky commented with a disgusted face that made Tony giggle as he watched his father. "Pepperoni is the way to go."

"It is the safe way, Barnes. Maybe you should try something different," Loki told him with a smirk as he turned to face his boyfriend who scoffed and shook his head. "Then leave me and my pineapple alone. You do not judge Barton for getting candy on his."

"But it's good, mama," Tony chipped in to the argument as he turned to look at his mother who sighed. "M&Ms are super good on pizza!"

"You see the type of people you leave our child with?"

"You're right. Tony, that's disgusting, kiddo."

Tony only shrugged and turned his attention back to his cartoons as Bucky told FRIDAY to place their usual orders from their favorite pizza shop. The three had decided to have a quiet night in to enjoy the rest of their Sunday before Tony went back to daycare tomorrow and the week started all over. Loki had recently taken to helping Pepper with SI stuff while Tony was at daycare and Bucky often found himself heading to the VA with Sam to lend a hand. Or often times the couple would take opportunity of the fact that they were kid free and get some adult time, which usually meant catching up on sleep or if they had the energy for it, sex.

"I don't wanna go to daycare anymore," Tony tells them as they're eating dinner sitting around the coffee table in the living room with the TV playing The Little Mermaid.

"May we know why not? Are you having trouble again?" Bucky asked the kid worriedly, watching as he picked off the pepperoni of his pizza before eating it, gaze never once leaving his plate. "Bambi, you like daycare and you know it's only for a few hours. Why don't ya wanna go anymore?"

"No one likes me. Since Teddy left I've got no new friends an' I sit alone everyday. Sometimes Ms Karen sits with me, but I feel lonely."

"Darling, why did you not say anything?" Loki says softly as his green eyes look at the child sadly.

Tony only shrugs and takes a big bite from his pizza to avoid answering. The two adults sigh and look at each other unsure of what to do. On one hand they could just keep Tony at home and wait until the new school year started in September but on the other hand, they knew Tony needed to make friends of his own and his therapist would scold them for not letting his social skills grow. Tony only attended daycare four days a week now, Wednesday's being his appointment with his therapist and Tony was always too emotionally exhausted to do anything afterwards so maybe they could cut back on the hours Tony spent at the daycare.

"Well how about you only attend in the mornings and your mama or I pick you up at around lunchtime. That way you can still spend sometime there and get to know the other kids better and spend less time," Bucky suggested, looking at Loki who nodded in agreement.

"I don't wanna go!"

"Anthony, you need to go. Once you start school in a few months we will not be able to reduce your time spent there simply because you do not want to go or because you do not have friends. You need to understand that you will not always get your way," Loki said a little more sternly knowing that a tantrum was quickly approaching. Loki was able to detect the signs much quicker than Bucky could.

"I don't wanna!"

"Bambi, stop it. Your mother is right. You'll only be at the daycare for another month and once school ends for Peter, he'll be able to spend more time at the tower with you and you won't even go to daycare unless it's absolutely necessary."

"No!" Tony cried as he threw his half eaten pizza on the plate as big fat crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks and Loki sighed. So much for a quiet night in.

"Go to your room, Anthony," Loki told the child who quickly ran off crying and Bucky ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "We are not going to give in to his demands, James."

"It's just daycare, Loki, it's not like he's missing anything important," Bucky tried to argue with his boyfriend who sighed and stood up with his empty plate.

"I will not argue with you over this problem, James. Anthony needs to understand that he will not get his way simply because he throws in a few tears. One thing is wanting to raise him better than Howard and Maria and another is spoiling him," Loki informed his boyfriend before heading off into the kitchen to drop off his plate.

"It's not spoiling if he's truly upset about attending daycare. I don't want my son to be upset."

"Then do what you want with _your_ son but do not come crying to me when a thirteen year old Anthony decides he no longer wants to finish school," Loki spits out angrily as he starts heading down the hall to his room.

"Loki, darlin', that's not what I meant," Bucky pleaded as he headed after his boyfriend who slammed their bedroom door shut after him. "He's your kid too and I- I just want him to be happy."

"Go back to your old floor, Barnes," comes Loki's response from the other side of the door and Bucky sighed before heading towards the elevator where FRIDAY already had the door open.

"What's up with you?" Steve asked once he saw Bucky step into the living room where he was watching a movie with Natasha and Sam.

"Loki kicked me out," is all Bucky says as he drops down on the arm chair with a loud groan, Steve pausing the movie they were watching while the other two stare at Bucky with varying looks. Sam looked shocked that he'd been kicked out on their first day of living together and Natasha just looked disappointed.

"What did you?" The red headed spy asked with a delicate eyebrow raised.

And Bucky explained what happened and they all groaned in unison which only made Bucky feel a lot worse.

"First of all, Loki's right. You can't just take Tony out of daycare simply because he cried a few tears and told you that no one likes him. As tough as it sounds, he needs to learn that you'll not always be there to get him out of something he doesn't like," Natasha starts off as she leans back in her seat. "Second of all, Tony is as much Loki's kid as he is yours so in an argument like this, don't ever make it seem like Loki doesn't matter. Next time you make him feel like this, I will cut off your dick and feed it to you, got that?"

"Perfectly clear," Bucky says quietly. He wasn't even sure when Nat had become fiercely protective of Loki, but she scared Bucky.

"I don't blame Loki for kicking you out, man and I definitely won't blame him if he decides to poof your things back to your old room," Sam tells him with a shake of his head.

"Look, I love Tony and it hurts to hear that no one at the daycare likes him, but taking him out won't solve anything. Talk it through with his therapist first, I'm sure she can suggest something," Steve suggested Bucky who sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Maybe I'll ask Loki if we can bump up his appointment."

"Are you staying here then?"

"Yeah. No use trying to talk to Loki right now."

Meanwhile on Loki's floor, the mage was sitting in the couch by the window and staring out into the nightlife of the city just watching cars drive by when his bedroom door opens. He's prepared to tell James to get out when he spots a familiar head of brown curls enter the room and a soft sniffle follows.

"Mama?" Tony called out hesitantly, bringing a hand up to wipe at his eyes.

"What is it darling?" Loki asks as he motions for the child to walk over to him. Tony rushes towards Loki's side and gets up in the couch where he buries his face in Loki's t-shirt. "Are you ready to talk now without screaming and crying?"

"I'm sorry. I just don't wanna go anymore."

"If there is something else going on, you need to tell us, Anthony. If it simply is because you have no friends, let me tell you something. I did not have any friends when I was your age. All I had was my brother and mother, my own father did not love me and it was obvious he preferred Thor over me," Loki begins to say as he strokes the four year old's hair. "Many of the children on Asgard thought I was a weird child simply for wanting to read books instead of sparring. The Avengers are my first real set of friends in many many years."

"But Teddy was my only friend an' I miss him." Tony poured as he moved to sit on Loki's lap, curling up into a ball. "An' I guess Ned an' MJ are my friends too but they're lots older than me."

"But you will make more friends your own age, I am sure of that, darling. You just have to be patient, but if someone is bothering you at the daycare, you need to tell a grown up."

"I promise."

They fall quiet after that and Loki begins to hum quietly as he stared out the window, Tony starting to fall asleep until he remembers that his papa isn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where's papa?"

"He is with your Uncle Steven."

"Did you guys fight? Cause I don't like it when you fight. It makes me sad."

"I know darling, but it is normal for two people who are in a relationship to have disagreements. Your father and I will love you no matter what," Loki reassures the child who nods and lays back down against Loki's chest.

"Can I sleep with you?" Tony asks in a small voice, unsure if his mother would let him sleep in the big bed with him.

"Of course. Go grab your bear and come back."

Tony rushed off quickly and Loki was about to get up to get ready for bed when he noticed James standing by the doorway.

"I'll still sleep on Steve's floor, but I just needed to apologize to you, doll. I'm really sorry for our fight and for makin' you feel like Tony wasn't your kid. I-I didn't mean to hurt ya like that, Lokes," James says as he walks further into the room until he's kneeling in front of his boyfriend. "He's as much your kid as he's mine. You've been there on those long nights when he can't sleep. You've been there when he hasn't felt good and you've gotten puked on and you've been there for all the good times as well. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I don't know if I would have been able to handle this as well as I have."

"I forgive you, but do know that this will not be our first and only fight because we cannot agree on how to parent Anthony," Loki says softly as he reaches out to stroke James's cheek. "He is only four, as he grows, he will know which buttons to push to make us mad. That does not mean that we give in to his every demand. We do not need a spoiled brat thinking he can have everything he asks for."

"I know," James says as he turns his head to press a kiss to Loki's palm. "I just- I don't want this to go bad for Tony again."

"It will not, be we cannot show him to run from the problems. He had a friend and I am sure that he will have plenty more in the future."

"Papa!" Anthony shouted excitedly as he ran over to the two with his bear and dressed in his pajamas though his shirt was on backwards and Loki smiled fondly as James sat properly on the ground and opened his arms where the child ran into them. "I'm sleeping with mama tonight! Are you staying here too?"

"We could watch a movie," Loki suggested and that was enough for James to know that he was allowed to stay with them.

"Yay! Can we watch Big Hero 6?" Anthony asked his parents with a big smile.

"Sure can, Bambi."

Anthony doesn't last very long in the movie. He falls asleep halfway through, snuggled between his parents so James changes the channel to reruns of The Office before he turns to face Loki with a smile.

"You are a creep," Loki tells his boyfriend as he looks at him.

"What if we take a family vacation?"

"To where exactly?"

"Malibu. Tones has that new place he never quite got to use and we can set him up on a play date with Teddy while we're there. I'm sure it'll cheer the kid up. And we can take Pete with us, well after we ask May," Bucky explains and Loki chuckles under his breath. "I know you want too. I saw that new bikini you bought the other day."

"Asshole," Loki says without any heat but he agrees to James's idea. "I will talk to May about letting Peter go with us, you get the rest sorted."

"Aye aye, captain."

Loki sighed but smiled when James leaned over to kiss his cheek before the god settled down next to the four year old and fell asleep pretty quick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just heard a kid crying next door, but you know what? Our neighbors moved out three months ago and I'm home alone so I'm kinda creeped out rn
> 
> now that Endgame is out on digital, who's gotten their heart broken again in the comfort of your own home ?? I haven't, mostly cause I'm a coward, but also because I'm waiting for it to come out on blu-ray but also because i'm not ready


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Who's that with Tony?" Steve asked them suddenly and they all look up to see the child talking to a woman with slight blonde hair and wearing a long dress and in an instant, Loki disappeared from her spot and reappeared next to Tony.

Tony doesn't attend daycare that Monday following his tantrum. Not because they're giving in to his pleads of not going back, but because they managed to get him an appointment with his therapist for that morning. While Tony was with the doctor, the two sat in the waiting room; Bucky a bit more nervous and Loki sitting calmly and reading a parenting magazine with one leg crossed over the other.

"Mr and Mrs Barnes, Doctor McGowan would like to see you now," the secretary told them with a kind smile and the two thanked her before standing up and heading inside the doctor's office where their kid was playing happily with a few Avengers action figures and a dollhouse.

"James, Loki, take a seat please," Doctor McGowan tells them as she points to two chairs in front of her. "I would definitely like to keep seeing Tony twice a week now, if possible. You guys did good in bringing him in today and I would like to move his Wednesday appointment to Thursday instead, give him a bit of time between visits."

"How did you see him today?" Loki asks worriedly as her eyes dart over to the four year old who had Thor flying up to the attic of the dollhouse to rescue a dog.

"Better than last week, that separation anxiety has been easing up. He no longer stared at the door for the entire session, so there's that," the doctor told them in a light tone which made the two parents relax and chuckle a little. "He still worries about you two every time you go out with the rest of the Avengers, but not enough to the point where I'd have to diagnose him with generalized anxiety disorder, or any other type of anxiety right now, but I'll still keep a lookout when he comes in."

"And the not wantin' to go to daycare thing?" Bucky asked her with a slight frown.

"I would like to keep an eye on that for the time being. Right now it could be because he's still missing his best friend and a part of himself maybe feels like it'd be replacing Teddy if he got a new friend so he doesn't try to interact with the other kids." The doctor looked at them as she adjusted her glasses. "Though once he starts school in the fall, I'll be able to get a better idea of that."

Loki looks over at the child who has Thor in one hand and a Barbie in the other. She bites her bottom lip to keep from laughing when Tony has the Barbie rescue Thor from an apparently evil Lightning McQueen.

The three walk out of the doctor's office a few minutes later with Tony happily telling them what he and the nice doctor talked about. The first session had been horrible, all the kid did was cry but the two adults were glad that Tony had warmed up to her by now.

"So where to now, Bambi?" Bucky asked the kid as they got in the car, Tony having insisted that he could handle the seatbelt on his own.

"Dunno," Tony replied with a shrug, yawning right after and Loki and Bucky shared a look.

"We should take the dog to the park. It is a beautiful day and the park is empty at this time of day," Loki suggested knowing that Tony got worried when there was a lot of people at the park which is why they tended to take him at times when they knew kids were either at school or somewhere else.

"Yeah! Can we go? I wanna go!"

"Sounds good. Let's go get Brownie then."

The three spend a nice day at the park with Steve, Natasha and Sam eventually joining them with lunch packed in a picnic basket and they all sit under a shady tree to eat the food they'd packed.

"How was today's session?" Natasha asked them as Tony ran off yet again with Brownie.

"The doctor said that his separation anxiety is getting better, but we will need to keep an eye out on his sudden dislike of daycare and the idea of school," Loki told them from where she sat between her boyfriend's legs.

"But he's certainly gotten a lot better since the mission where Bucky went missing," Sam commented as he looks over to where the child is playing happily with his dog. "He wouldn't even let Bucky go to the bathroom without crying."

"That was certainly a mess," Bucky grumbled as he nosed at Loki's hair which smelled of roses today. "Speaking of mess, the lady and I talked last night 'bout takin' a small vacation once Pete's out of school for the summer. Just for a few days so don't call us in for Avengers stuff unless it's end of the world or alien invasion type of serious."

"And where are you guys going if we may know?" Steve asked them curiously.

"Malibu. Hopefully we can get Tony to see Teddy and maybe that'll help him out a bit."

"That sounds lovely. I'm jealous," Natasha says as she lays down on the blanket they'd spread on the ground to be able to eat. "I'm heading out on a mission two days after Tony's birthday, it's a long one."

"Speaking of Tony's birthday, you guys planning anything?" Sam asks curiously as he grabs his water bottle and takes a sip.

"He wants chocolate cake. I was thinkin' just something simple at the tower with us, Pepper, Happy, Rhodes if he can come, May and Pete. Not sure if the kid wants to invite Ned and MJ."

"I'm sure he'd love to have everyone there, either way," Natasha replies with a smile as she sits up and reaches for the basket to grab another container with fruit.

"Who's that with Tony?" Steve asked them suddenly and they all look up to see the child talking to a woman with slight blonde hair and wearing a long dress and in an instant, Loki disappeared from her spot and reappeared next to Tony.

"Mother," Loki said a little breathless as she looked at the Queen of Asgard who smiles gently at her daughter, her right hand twitching like she wants to reach out for Loki. "What are you doing here? Does the All Father know you are here?"

"No, he's been busy recently so I have decided to come and meet my grandson," Frigga replies gently as she brushes a strand of Loki's hair back behind her ear and smiles lovingly at her daughter.

"Mommy, is that your mommy?" Tony asks Loki as he looks up at her curiously and Loki nods. "So that makes her my grandma, right?"

"That is right, Anthony," Frigga answers as she crouches down next to the four year old who smiles at his grandmother. "I apologize for not having come to meet you sooner, but I have been quite busy up in Asgard."

"That's okay. You're here now."

Loki doesn't know what to say. It's been awhile since she's had a good relationship with her mother, especially after finding out that Odin and Frigga weren't actually her parents.

"How long are you staying?" Loki asks her in a slightly cold voice, seeing Bucky walk over to them from the corner of her eye.

"Loki, don't be like this," Frigga pleads her youngest who shakes her head and relaxes once Bucky places a hand on the small of her back. Frigga's eyes flick over to Bucky and she smiles at the super soldier.

"What's goin' on?" He asks worriedly as he looks between the two women.

"This is my mother, Frigga, the queen of Asgard," Loki informs her boyfriend who smiles and shakes Frigga's hand. "Mother, this is James, my boyfriend and Anthony's father."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Bucky tells the queen who smiles.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, James. I can't thank you enough for making my Loki happy," Frigga says as she reaches a hand out to stroke Tony's cheek. "You've got an extraordinary young boy."

"The brightest little boy," Bucky agreed as he looks down at Tony with a fond smile and the kid was busy fiddling with the long sleeve on Frigga's dress while Brownie sniffed around. "And what can I say about Loki? She's the love of my life."

Loki turns to look at her boyfriend and smiles softly.

"Well, I must get going, but Loki, darling, bring Anthony and James to Asgard soon. I would love to see my grandson and son-in-law again."

"Will try," Loki replies which is either as good as saying _"Fat chance. I'm not going to expose them to the All Father."_ or _"Fuck Odin, sure, we'll visit."_ Loki's got two moods when it comes to Asgard and she only visited when she wanted to piss off her father.

"Goodbye Anthony, I hope to see you soon," Frigga tells the child as she bends down to be at eye level with him.

"Bye grandma!" Tony replies and to their surprise, hugs Frigga who doesn't hesitate in returning the warm embrace.

Once Frigga was gone, Tony ran off to tell the others of his grandma while Bucky turned to look at his girlfriend who looked upset. He wasn't sure if Loki was upset because Frigga had left or because of how strained their relationship still was.

"You should talk to your ma," Bucky suggests as he cups Loki's face in both his hands and forces her to look at him. "I know it hurts ya, doll, but she's tryin' and you're just tryin' to push her away. You were doin' the same with Thor until Tony came into our lives."

"I love Anthony, but it hurts to see my mother show so much affection to him when she never once cared about my other children," Loki finally tells him and Bucky can understand now why she's so upset. He knows how much Loki misses the others, especially since Loki can only visit Hela every now and then but not the other boys.

"Maybe that's why, doll. Maybe she doesn't want to make the same mistakes."

"Maybe, but, I do not think I want to take Anthony to Asgard and expose him to Odin. At least, not without Thor around."

"Whenever you want, just say it and we'll go."

Loki doesn't say anything and Bucky doesn't pressure her to. She simply leans up a bit to peck Bucky's lips before heading back towards the group with Brownie next to her.

*

The next morning, Tony watches his parents talk to Ms Karen at the daycare while he sits alone at the table that used to also sit Teddy. Now there were just three empty chairs and Tony tried to pretend that it didn't bother him, but it did. He always looked around the room and saw how the other kids laughed with each other and sat three to a table.

"Alright darling," Loki says as he kneels beside Tony with a hand on his back and a warm smile on his face. "Your father and I will be leaving now. I have a meeting with Pepper but your father will pick you up around noon, good?"

"Okay mama. Love you," Tony tells him softly and Loki kisses his forehead.

"Love you too, darling. Be good and have a great day."

Tony nods and then watches his parents leave the room. The small boy pulled out a book from his backpack and started reading where he left off the last time he'd been at the daycare while he waited for Ms Karen to hand out their first activity.

"How come you don't like to play with the others?" A girl asked Tony and he looked up from his book to see a girl with her blonde hair done in two crooked pigtails and she was wearing a purple Black Widow shirt and paint stained jeans sitting in the chair Teddy used to sit on.

"No one really likes me 'cause they think I'm weird," Tony replies with a shrug as he placed a bookmark in his book and closed it to give her his attention. His mama and papa always tell him to be nice when someone is talking to him.

"Just 'cause ya like to read? That's silly. I read lots, too," she says with a large grin, showing off a missing front tooth and it made Tony wonder when he would lose his own teeth. "My mommy says it's good to read 'cause it makes ya smarter."

"My mama said that too. I'm Tony."

"I'm Lizzy. Wanna be my friend?"

"Okay." Tony shrugged though he was unsure. The last friend he had had moved away and he was afraid this one would too. He didn't want to be left alone.

Tony learned that Lizzy had an older sister and a baby brother which made him slightly jealous because he wanted to be a big brother, but he supposed he could wait a bit longer. He told her how he had an older brother who was in high school and Lizzy's gray eyes widened and said that she was jealous because her older sister was only two years older than her and mean. Their conversation then lead to Avengers stuff and Lizzy said that her favorite was the Black Widow and Tony then told her that the Black Widow was his aunt and that his daddy was the Winter Soldier and his mama was Loki.

"That's so cool!" Lizzy told him as she bounced in her seat excitedly. "You're cool."

The rest of the morning went by quick and Tony found himself really enjoying Lizzy's company. When his papa arrived sometime after they had a snack and just before nap time, Tony was a bit hesitant to leave his new friend, but then his papa said they were meeting up with his mama for lunch and Tony said goodbye to Lizzy and rushed off to grab his backpack.

"Who's your new friend?" Bucky asked the kid as they headed towards the private elevator the team used, Tony holding his hand as they wave goodbye to the receptionist at the front.

"Her name's Lizzy an' she likes to read too. An' her favorite Avenger is Auntie Nat. She was even wearin' a shirt with Auntie Nat on it," Tony explains as he leans into his papa as the elevator takes them down to the garage.

"And you like Lizzy?"

"Yeah, 'cause she says I'm not weird."

Tony was too busy staring at the numbers changing to notice Bucky's sad smile.

*

"Hi mama," Tony greets Loki, wrapping his arms around the god and kissing his cheeks repeatedly which had Loki laughing as he held on to the child tightly before letting go so he could go sit.

"Hello darling, have a nice day?" He asks as Tony sits in the booth across from him.

"Mhmm."

"Tell him about Lizzy, kid," Bucky encourages the child as he slides into the booth next to Loki and pressing a kiss to his cheek in greeting.

"Lizzy?" Loki arches an eyebrow as he stares at his son who blushes and tries to hide behind the kids menu he was reading.

"She's new at the daycare and my friend. She likes to read too and says that Auntie Nat is her favorite Avenger," Tony explains to Loki who smiles proudly at his boy for finally making a new friend, even if he still looks a bit hesitant and like it's hard to believe that someone wants to be his friend in the first place.

"Well, I am very happy that you have made a new friend, darling. Lizzy sounds like a lovely girl."

Tony falls asleep on the table after eating half his grilled cheese sandwich and a few fries, his drink sitting untouched and the couple finish eating quickly so they can take their kid home.

"Pepper said she would help with planning Anthony's party," Loki says as Bucky drives them back to the tower, Tony still fast asleep in the back.

"She's a saint, I would have no idea what to do. There's too much to plan and frankly, I can't remember the last time I ever attended a kid's birthday party," Bucky confesses and Loki smirks and shakes his head.

"As I am not sure what even goes on in a Midgardian birthday party, I would be of no help either. Thor's parties always ended in stuff being destroyed and too much Asgardian mead."

"See, this is why we are the perfect team."

Loki merely rolled his eyes and gave out an affectionate sigh that had Bucky smiling wide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyone play Marvel Puzzle Quest ?? Because I am sick tired of getting the same damn heroes all the damn time. Like they've got a shit ton and all I get are the same Captain Marvel, Thor, Storm and Ares covers and the amount of iso-8 we get is ridiculous and useless. I've got over 400k of that dumb purple shit.
> 
> anyways currently rewriting some chapters in this story so don't be sad if you don't get an update next week. if you don't, i'll compensate by give you a superfamily one shot that i finished sometime last week :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Happy birthday, Bambi." Bucky leans over and presses a big kiss to Tony's chubby cheek which makes him giggle and complain about his beard.

The days leading up to Tony's birthday are busy and stressful. Even though Pepper was in charge of most of the planning, Loki and Bucky had to help her come up with the guest list which now included Lizzy and two other kids Tony had befriended. While they were glad that Tony was making friends and his party would not be filled with just the adults, Tony hadn't been too sure of being friends with Alexander and Alana, twins who were just as shy as Tony and kept to themselves. They were great kids though and Lizzy, who was so outgoing and energetic, had brought them into their little group to be friends and now they were all basically inseparable.

Also with planning Tony's first birthday party with them and wanting it to be the best (it's not everyday you turn 5 for the second time), it was also hard going around and making sure no one had plans for the specified date. And with being superheroes, they also prayed to whatever god was listening, that no villains would decide to show up and ruin his big day, otherwise they would have some seriously pissed off Avengers.

"How was daycare?" Steve asked as he and the kid rode the elevator up to the communal floor on the Friday before Tony's birthday party.

"It was fun! Lizzy said a joke an' milk came out of Alex's nose! It was gross but so cool! Have you ever done that, Uncle Steve?" Tony asked as he looked up at the blonde who shook his head with a laugh.

"No, I'm sure it hurts though," Steve says with a slight chuckle and Tony nods.

"Alex said it did, but he was laughin' too." Tony giggles. And Steve's still surprised at how in such little time Tony has managed to develop a mix of accents. Sometimes it was more like the Brooklyn accent Bucky often slipped to but with hints of Loki's British one and other times a slight Russian one would come out from the lessons Bucky and Nat would give the child. It was amusing, but unique and so Tony. He was already shaping up to be his own little person, so different yet so similar from the adult Tony.

"There's my spider baby!" Peter shouts excitedly as he rushes out of the kitchen with a big smile and Tony gasps excitedly and runs off to hug the teen. It was early on a Friday, so Tony was surprised to see the teen at the tower when normally he didn't show up until sometime before dinner if Queens didn't need Spider-Man.

"Peter! Hi! Guess what?!" Tony asked as he crashed into Peter's arms with a loud squeal that had Steve and Natasha, the only two adults on the floor currently, laughing and watching the scene fondly.

"What is it?" Peter asked, humoring the child as he picked him up easily and tossed him into the air once just to keep him laughing.

"It's my birthday tomorrow! I turn this many!" Tony holds up five little fingers and Peter makes a dramatic gasp and widens his eyes which has the still four year old laughing hysterically.

"Wow! You're getting so big, little man. Are you excited to eat lots of chocolate cake?"

"Mhmm! My papa said it was going to have chocolate frosting as well."

"I can already imagine the sugar rush," Natasha comments and Steve sighs and nods in agreement.

"Where are my mama and papa?" Tony asked suddenly as he looked around the kitchen and living room in hopes of seeing his parents but the floor was relatively empty.

"They're out running a few errands, but they promised to be back soon and to bring pizza for dinner," Steve explains to the child who cheers at the mention of one of his favorite foods. Tony, if he could, would probably live off of just cheeseburgers and pizza. "Meanwhile, why don't you and Peter go play, but not if you have homework, Pete. Homework comes first."

"Aww, no fair!" Peter complains as he starts heading towards the living room where he'd left his backpack and where Brownie, who's been laying on a spot by the windows where the sun hit just right, perked up at the sight of the two boys and barked excitedly.

"No worries, Peter! I'll help you!" Tony tells the teen as he skips off after him with Brownie in his arms.

When Bucky and Loki step foot on the communal floor, they're not prepared for the mess that greets them. Peter's webs are all over the ceiling and walls and there's a toy car webbed to the doorway. Tony's crayons and coloring books are scattered along the floor and then there's one Steve Rogers who's fast asleep on the couch with marker drawings on his face.

"Your children are a menace," Loki tells his boyfriend before heading off towards the kitchen to drop off the boxes of chicken wings he was carrying.

"Oh, so they're only my kids when they're bad? Aren't you supposed to be the God of Mischief? Pretty sure that's all you, doll," Bucky argues playfully as he follows after his boyfriend with the pizza boxes.

They find the kids in the kitchen with Peter on the ceiling and Tony throwing grapes at the teen who tried to catch them with his mouth. Tony was laughing and it only turned hysterical every time he missed and hit Peter's forehead or eye, which was all the time. Brownie meanwhile sat by her food bowl and watched the two with as much resignation as a dog could give in a look.

"What in the world are you two doin'? Did ya kill Steve?" Bucky asks them as he sets the pizzas down on the counter and looks at the two boys with his arms crossed against his chest and a displeased look on his face while Loki fought hard to keep his proud look off his face as Peter got off the ceiling with a flip and Tony managed to hit Bucky's forehead with a grape.

"No, he was watching a documentary and fell asleep. Old people," Peter explains, scoffing playfully afterwards and it made Tony giggle and Loki's lips twitched upwards before he looked around the mess and he got serious again.

"And that meant that you two had to make a mess everywhere?" Loki asks them with a raised eyebrow and giving them _the look_ that had the two boys immediately sobering up and looking at the god with wide eyes. That's why Loki's more of the strict parent because they laugh every time Bucky tries to give them said look. Peter had said once that it looked like Bucky was constipated every time he tried giving them that look.

"Um, no? Well, in our defense, Steve gave us candy so..." Peter trailed off with an awkward wave and the couple looked down at Tony who was literally bouncing in his spot.

"Steven!" Bucky yells and Loki waves his glowing fingers around and then they hear Steve let out an 'oof' as he falls to the ground from the couch and the two boys hide their giggles behind their hands.

"Oh. You guys are back! Oh," Steve says happily at first, but then his smile fades away when he sees the mess around the room. "Wow this place is a mess."

"You seen your face, buddy?"

Steve frowns for a moment before he rushes off to the mirror in the hall that lead to extra guest rooms and then they hear him exhale in complete surrender.

Serves him right, Bucky thinks in complete amusement on the inside while on the outside he stares at the two giggling boys like he has no idea what to do with them.

"You three will clean this up. Now," Loki informs them and Steve was about to complain, but one look from Loki was enough to send him scrambling away to find a broom.

Once the whole floor is clean, the five of them sit down to eat dinner.

"You excited for tomorrow, Tones?" Bucky asked the four old, though he himself is already feeling nostalgic at the fact that his baby turns five tomorrow.

"Very excited! I want lots of chocolate cake!" Tony tells them as he takes a big bite of his pizza.

"You always want chocolate cake," Peter says and Tony scowls up at him.

"Do not!" Tony argues and Bucky sighed.

"Do too!"

"Do-"

"Alright boys, that's enough," Bucky tells them, putting a stop to the on coming argument. "Just eat."

Peter and Tony go back to eating, their argument over chocolate cake now forgotten as they tease Steve about the drawings on his face.

"You'll both pay for this by the way," Steve informs the two who stop their teasing and look at the blonde super soldier with twin looks of suspicion that makes Loki chuckle.

The next morning Loki, Bucky and Peter wake Tony up by singing happy birthday to him with a chocolate cupcake and a candle on top. Tony whines at first, but when his eyes land on the cupcake, they widen and he sits up excitedly on his bed.

"Happy birthday, darling," Loki tells him with a smile on his face and he leans over to press a kiss to the child's forehead.

"You gotta make a wish, spider baby!" Peter exclaims as he gets on the bed and sits next to his little brother.

"Blow out the candle, Bambi," Bucky encourages the now five year old with something akin to nostalgia in his eyes as he holds the cupcake closer to his kid.

Tony thinks for a moment before he closes his eyes and blows out the candle, Loki and Peter clapping and cheering. Bucky takes the candle out and hands the cupcake to Tony who giggles and thanks them.

"Happy birthday, Bambi." Bucky leans over and presses a big kiss to Tony's chubby cheek which makes him giggle and complain about his beard.

Peter posts a selfie of him and Tony to his social media and captions it, _"Happiest of birthdays to the best baby brother ever!!"_ MJ comments on the picture with "someone's getting old" and Ned leaves a bunch of heart emojis and the crying one.

For breakfast they meet up with the whole team plus Jane and Darcy, the latter two who had arrived earlier that morning and would be staying for a few days.

"Oh my goodness! It's the birthday boy!" Darcy shouted excitedly as she ran over to scoop up Tony into her arms. "My little baby is growing up!" She cried, hugging Tony tight and making him laugh uncontrollably as she kissed all over his face, no doubt leaving lipstick stains behind.

"Don't break my child, Lewis," Bucky says playfully and Peter and Loki laugh before wandering off into the kitchen where Steve, Bruce, Natasha and Wanda have helped make a big feast for breakfast.

"He's extra squishy, he won't break."

Bucky rolls his eyes fondly and follows after his boyfriend and teenager with Darcy still cooing at the five year old.

"Happy birthday, Tony!" They all shout once Darcy appears in the kitchen with the birthday boy who soaks up all the attention with a big smile, his arms around Darcy's neck.

By the time Tony is finally set on a chair for breakfast, he's been hugged and kissed much more than he can bother counting. He sits at the head of the table and Clint walks over with a dark blue colored party hat that says Birthday Boy in white bold letters.

"Be glad I didn't get you one that says Birthday Princess," Clint tells the five year old as he fixes the hat on his head and then hugs him tight. "Happy birthday, Hobbit."

"Thank you," Tony says with a giggle, the nickname no longer bothering him.

"You excited for your party later?" Sam asks Tony as they start eating their choice of French toast, pancakes or waffles with their side of fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and sausages. For adults there was coffee, or in Loki's, Wanda's and Bruce's case, tea and for the two kids orange juice.

"Yeah! I'm gonna play with Lizzy, Alex and Alana and it's gonna be so fun!" Tony tells them as he grabs his fork to eat his scrambled eggs.

"My baby has friends! Oh my gosh this is so exciting!" Darcy squealed and Jane sighed at her best friend in fond exasperation. "Can't wait to meet them."

Tony giggled and let his mama help him out with his waffles. Everyone could see how excited he was about his party and playing with his friends. Also, he was secretly excited to show off his big brother because only Lizzy had an older sibling, but not as old Peter and the twins' mom was having a baby, which totally didn't make Tony jealous. Nope, not at all.

Breakfast comes and goes and Peter takes Tony up to their floor to distract him while the others get the communal floor ready for the party. Tony's a big ball of excitement, running around and making it hard for Peter to get the child ready for his party.

"Tony!" Peter whined as he chased after the five year old with a pair of skinny jeans and button up shirt. "You can't go to your party half naked!"

"It's my party!" Tony shouted as he ducked out of Peter's hold and dashed down the hall again, laughing hysterically and Peter sighed tiredly.

"You really don't need any more sugar today."

*

The party is in full swing two hours later. There's a table overflowing with presents of all shapes and sizes, another table has the cake, candy, cookies and popcorn. There are red and blue balloons everywhere because of course Tony wanted a Spider-Man themed party. There were more grown ups than kids, but that was okay with Tony as he ran around with his friends and Brownie chased after them, excited to see so many new people. To Tony's surprise, Carol had managed to make it and he'd hugged her tight and refused to let go of her for a long while. He'd pouted a bit because she hadn't brought Goose to the party, but then Carol explained that so much people could spook the cat-like creature.

"Tony, mom says it's time for cake and presents," Peter says as he peeks his head into the room where all the kids were playing, a large smile on his face.

"Cake!" All the kids cheer and rush out the room, leaving behind a wide eyed teenager at the sudden stampede of four/five year olds.

"Come here, darling," Loki tells Tony as he extends a hand out towards the child who rushes towards his mama's side. "You ready to blow out your candles?"

"I want cake," Tony replies instead and Bucky laughs as he sits Tony up on a chair as Steve walks over to light up the five candles on the Spider-Man themed cake.

Lizzy, Alex and Alana stand in front of the table while the adults stood behind them and around the table and Peter stands with Ned and MJ off to the side with their phones out and taking videos and pictures of Tony.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" They all began to sing to the child whose cheeks turn a cute shade of pink. "Happy birthday dear Tony! Happy birthday to you!"

"Alright kid, make a wish and blow out your candles," Bucky tells the child once they finish singing.

Tony closes his eyes and then blows out his candles quickly, apparently having already had his wish perfectly well thought out. Loki and Bucky only shared suspicious looks over the kid's head, guessing that Tony's wish probably involved the b word.

"Come here you big boy," Wanda says as she walks over to take Tony while Natasha walks over with a knife to help Bucky cut the cake while Loki and Steve handed the plates to the guests.

"So what'd you wish for, Hobbit?" Clint asked the five year old.

"Nuh uh, Petey says that wishes don't come true if you tell people," Tony warns the archer from where he sits comfortably in Wanda's arms, stroking her long hair with his right hand while glaring at Clint who rolled his eyes.

"Are your wishes from this morning and right now the same?" Peter asks as he joins in on the conversation with Ned and MJ.

"Maybe." Tony giggles and Clint huffs and rolls his eyes again. "Mama says if you do that lots of times your eyes will get stuck like that."

"Oh what does your mother now?"

"Lots. Mama's super smart."

"Listen Hobbit, it's about time you knew that parents lie to ya all the time."

"You wanted to say something, Barton?" Loki asked from behind the archer and Clint jumped in surprise while the kids and Wanda all giggled as the god stood there with a raised eyebrow and arms crossed across his chest. "Stop saying those kinds of things to my child before I make you say nothing but the truth for the next three days."

"Do it!" Peter and MJ both cried out excitedly and Clint shook his head.

"Oh no no! That'll get me in trouble. You know how many lies I've told this past week? Enough to make me a millionaire probably," Clint says as he shakes his head repeatedly and Peter snickers. "And enough to kill me."

"That is your problem. Anthony, darling, time for cake," Loki says as he takes the five year old from Wanda and starts to head towards the table with the teenagers following.

Once Tony gets his cake, he sits with Lizzy and the twins on the ground by the coffee table while the rest of the adults mingled around the floor. May was getting awfully cozy with Happy which had Peter looking at them weirdly.

"Your Aunt Natasha is so cool!" Lizzy tells Tony with a large smile. "And she's gots super pretty hair."

"The best," Tony agrees with a big grin as he shoves a big piece of chocolate cake in his mouth. "She's teachin' me Russian an' Clint said he'd teach me how to use his bow and arrows once I'm older."

"Are you gonna be an Avenger when you grow up?" Alex asked Tony curiously.

"Yes, but my papa said I have to be older than Peter, though."

"Wow, that's old," Alana said and Peter, who'd been walking past them with his own slice of cake, glared playfully at the four year old girl.

"A four year old just called me old," Peter complained to his friends who snickered. "I'm only fourteen, not as old as pops or mom."

"I heard that, Parker!" Bucky called out from a few feet away and the teenager turned to give him an innocent smile. "At least respect your mother."

"Oh James," they hear Loki mumble in exasperation from where he's sitting with Jane and Darcy who snickers.

By the time the party came to an end, Tony was fast asleep in Thor's arms and the entire floor was a mess of balloons, candy wrappers, wrapping paper, toys and food. The others were helping to pick up the mess and put the left over food away.

"Man, this kid got a lot of toys," Clint says as he looks through all the things Tony got. "Oh sweet! Nerf guns!"

"You're not five nor your name is Tony so put that down and go take this trash out," Natasha tells the archer who pouts and takes the large black trash bag.

Loki had finished cleaning up the kitchen ages ago and was now sitting on the couch next to Thor and drinking his tea while watching the rest complain about the mess. Bucky suspected his boyfriend had used his magic to clean everything up and was simply being a little shit right now by not helping them out.

"Doll, a little help?" Bucky asked as he sat next to Loki and buried his face in the prince's neck.

"Now why would I do that? It is not my fault you are all a bunch of children who complain more than they clean. I am sure you all would have been done ages ago," Loki tells Bucky as he takes a careful sip of his tea while Thor snorts quietly beside them, shifting Tony in his arms into a more comfortable position.

"I can think of a very good reason. Think about it, doll," Bucky says quietly as he nips at the pale skin of Loki's neck, smirking when the prince tenses slightly. "The kid is sleepin', Pete's out with his friends and we can have the whole floor to ourselves for, say, an hour at least? And it's been awhile and you know it."

Bucky sat up and smirked when he saw Loki throw a cautious side glance at his older brother, almost as if he were afraid the blonde heard everything. He hadn't though. Jane was sitting next to him now and the two were busy throwing heart eyes at the sleeping child while having hushed conversations. Thor, like any good protective older brother, always looked at Bucky with narrowed eyes when he made even the slightest suggestive comment at Loki. He'd gotten about three different shovel talks from the prince before he'd even started dating Loki and about a dozen more after. The surprising thing was that he'd also gotten a shovel talk from Bruce, which really was just him flashing his green eyes at Bucky who knew the Hulk would pop out if he hurt Loki. Natasha simply waved a knife in his direction and narrowed her eyes. Bucky might be the Winter Soldier, but the Avengers were pretty terrifying when they wanted to be.

"Alright, I suppose. Give me a minute," Loki says and disappears from next to him.

"Diva," Bucky whispers fondly and waits for his boyfriend to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sick since Saturday, but on the bright side I bought Endgame on Blu-ray yesterday on the not so bright side, I won't be able to see it this weekend. that's okay tho, cause like i'm not ready for that shit
> 
> uh also, that one shot i promised will be coming next week (PROMISE), i'm currently working on a sequel for it so no new update for this story cause i'm also still trying to decide if chapters 7 and 8 are worth it.
> 
> also also, I am around 90% sure this story will be longer than 50 chapters and there's about a 5% chance it could be hitting triple digits ?? I've got a lot of ideas for this and as long as you guys are on board, I wouldn't mind making it 100 chapters long.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are we going to the beach?" Tony asks them as he refuses any help to cut up his blueberry pancakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse the ugly ass attempt at smut in the middle😂😂

On their first morning in Malibu, Loki is woken up by a familiar metal hand on his bare back and soft lips trailing down his spine.

"It is too early for whatever you need, Barnes," Loki mumbles into his pillow with his eyes still closed and trying to shove his boyfriend away from him because he was tired and loved his sleep. Trying to wrestle two hyperactive children into bed way past their bedtime last night had taken its toll on the god of mischief, especially since James had been no help.

"It's technically eleven in the morning back home, so not really," James replies though he does stop kissing halfway down Loki's back and makes a thoughtful noise. "Though it would certainly be the first time we get down and dirty under the sheets this early."

"Was last night not enough?" Loki asked him, this time opening his eyes and glaring up at his boyfriend who threw him an innocent look. "I may be a god, James, but even I have my limits."

"You're no fun."

"Go feed the little monsters you call your sons and leave me to my beauty sleep."

"You're grouchy in the mornings," James comments but presses one last kiss to Loki's left shoulder which was the closest one to him, before moving to get out of bed. "Anyways, you up for pancakes?"

"How you can go from thinking about sex to food in span of sixty seconds, I will never understand," Loki says as he sits up, the thought of going back to sleep long forgotten now that he realized that James would not let him, the children would be knocking down on their door soon and unlike the tower, the sun was everywhere. He mentally punches adult Tony for not having the same blackout feature on the windows here like back home.

"I want food!" Anthony shouted from the other side of their closed bedroom door, banging on it in an almost desperate manner to which Loki threw James a look.

"Leave the hanky panky for later and feed us!" Peter shouts next and Loki laughs at that one while James turns a bright shade of red that only gets worse when the five year old asks what hanky panky is.

"Go deal with the boys while I get ready, dear," Loki tells his boyfriend smugly and James glares at him, though it's halfhearted at best and does as he's told.

It's ten minutes later when Loki meets up with the rest of his family downstairs. He'd been looking for something to wear when he decided that he didn't feel like Loki and instead more like Lola.

Lola Liesmith is Loki's official identity as a citizen of the United States. Passport, birth certificate and on any other legal document, it was Lola Liesmith and Loki had Pepper to thank for that. Loki's new identity had been made when he'd returned to New York post the Battle™️ as a solution for Loki to be able to stay without angry people demanding his arrest. To everyone outside of the tower, he was Lola Liesmith, an intern of sorts for the team. She was young and gorgeous and no one suspected who she really was. She also worked with Pepper and the PR team to clear Loki's image and to ease his integration into the team with minimal backlash. Of course there were still those who doubted about Loki's intentions, even today after he'd helped save New York and other parts of the world more than once, but everyone adored Lola. So Lola had stayed and she was now a loving mother of two with the best boyfriend ever.

"Mommy!" Tony cried out happily as he ran up to her once she entered the kitchen.

"Morning darling," Loki greeted as she picked up the five year old who wrapped his little arms around her neck and kissed her cheek.

"Mom!" Peter whines as he walked up to her, ignoring the pout Tony threw his way. "Can you tell your boyfriend to let me eat whipped cream with my pancakes? That I am a growing boy who needs sugar?"

"I'd let you if you didn't deem it necessary to cover the whole pancake in whipped cream and then add more sugar on top of it," James argues back from the kitchen and Loki winked at Peter before passing the five year old off to him.

"I will do my best," Loki whispers at him before heading into the kitchen. Between the two, Loki was the one with the sweet tooth and James the healthy parent. Loki always tried to convince James to let the boys have an extra cookie or slightly bigger slice of cake or an extra scoop of ice cream. She wasn't always successful, but she felt pretty confident right now given James's mood that morning when he woke her up.

"Kjære (sweetheart, darling, dear)," Loki purrs as she slides up to James and bats her eyelashes. _"The amount of whipped cream Peter consumes is not even half of what you ate off of me that one time, so I really do not see the harm in him covering his pancakes in it."_ Switching to Russian had been a good idea and Loki knew it when she saw James's pupils dilate.

"That's illegal, babydoll, and you know it," James whined as he flipped a pancake before looking at Loki. "You know how I get when you speak in Russian. And also, that was considered blackmail, I am sure."

Loki simply smirked and raised a thin dark eyebrow as she leaned up a bit to brush her lips against James's in a teasing kiss.

"Hmm, think about it though."

And it works because as they sit down to eat breakfast a few minutes later, James places the whipped cream in front of Peter who's eyes widen in excitement and he thanks Loki before dousing his pancakes in the white stuff.

"Are we going to the beach?" Tony asks them as he refuses any help to cut up his blueberry pancakes.

"We are, so pack up your beach things boys, we're heading down after breakfast," James tells them as he grabs his cup of coffee and takes a sip.

"Yay!" Both kids cheer and were about to rush off to pack their things when Loki glares at them.

"Finish your breakfast. Beach after," she tells them sternly and the two children are pouting now but do as they're told.

It's an hour later when the four head down to the private area of the beach that came with the house. They were glad for it, because being who they are, they always worry about paps and fans and anything going wrong. And with a curious five year old who tended to wander off when distracted, well, they were glad they didn't have to worry about a crowded beach.

Loki lays out a beach towel on the sand while the boys immediately rush off towards the water despite Bucky telling them to wait. They'd dropped their things in the sand in their haste to get to the water.

"I told you to put sunscreen on them before we left the house," Loki tells her boyfriend in a teasing tone as she sits on the towel and works on putting her hair up in a messy bun. She was wearing that new bikini Bucky had been teasing her about awhile back. It was black with gold outlines and she wore a matching shirt dress cover up that reached her mid thigh.

"Why do you insist on wearing black to the beach?" Bucky asks his girlfriend instead, the sunglasses she was wearing hiding the obvious eye roll she definitely gave him.

"Why do you insist on bringing a knife to the beach?" Loki asks as she looks up at her boyfriend with a smirk and Bucky glared playfully at her.

Bucky lays down next to his girlfriend who calls the boys back and waves the sunscreen around.

"But mommy! It's gross!" Tony whines as he stands in front of her and lets her rub the sunscreen all over his skin.

"Would you rather be as red as a tomato?" Loki asks him and Tony only pouts further and Peter giggles as he rubs the sunscreen all over himself, quick and messy and Loki just knows he didn't get it everywhere and they'll have a whiny teenager complaining about his sunburns. "And complaining that it hurts?"

"No," Tony says in complete resignation and Bucky laughs at the child's expression.

Once Loki was done, Tony ran off with Peter and taking about making a sandcastle and the princess laid down next to her boyfriend who turned on his side to look at her.

"Why do you always stare at me?" Loki asks as she turns her head to look at her boyfriend who reaches out to remove her sunglasses so he can look into her green eyes.

"Because you're beautiful, you're my girlfriend and because I really love looking at you," Bucky lists with a giant grin on his face and wraps an arm around Loki and pulls her close when he sees her blushing. "So can we talk about the b word?"

"Birds?" Loki teases as she turns on her side, a smirk on her face and Bucky gives her a look. "Balloons? Hmm or is it possibly Brownie? I sure hope the team is feeding her and walking her, I would hate to return to a dead dog and be forced to buy Anthony that alpaca he wants."

"Okay, yes I hope so too, but you know what b word I'm talkin' about and I don't wanna say it out loud cause the kids might hear," Bucky explains as he brings a hand down to Loki's stomach and the princess gets a soft look in her eyes.

"Ask me again once Anthony starts school and we will see."

"But we are doing this, right?"

Loki nods and offers her boyfriend a smile, gasping in surprise when Bucky rolled on top of her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. They've been talking about the idea of giving the boys a baby sibling (they both secretly hoped to get a girl, they already had too many boys in their lives) since Tony's birthday party. Their son was five now and their teenager would be heading off to college soon, so maybe the two had gotten a bit sentimental and had brought up the idea of expanding their family. Loki just hoped that between now and then she'd be able to gather the courage to face her parents.

"Keep it PG!" Peter shouted from where he and Tony were walking along the shoreline looking for seashells.

"I'll be back," Bucky says as he kisses Loki softly before rushing off to chase after the boys who run off screaming.

*

Heading upstairs, Bucky finds his girlfriend sitting out on the balcony drinking iced tea and still in her bikini from earlier. He walks up behind her and leans down to kiss along her neck, relishing in the soft surprised gasp she lets out.

"The boys are sleeping downstairs," Bucky says as he sits next to his girlfriend who moves to sit on his lap, her legs on either side of his hips and her arms around his neck.

"They had a long morning at the beach," Loki tells him as she shifts on his lap, smirking when Bucky hisses and begins to harden under her so she keeps moving her hips until he's moaning. "Did you close and lock the door?"

"Y-Yeah," Bucky grunted as he slid his hands up her back until his fingers brush against the strings of her bikini top and he pulls at them until they come undone.

"Have you ever had sex outside?" Loki whispered in Bucky's ear, her hot breath making him shiver as he tosses her top elsewhere in the room and her hips keep moving in soft circles.

"Guess there's always a first time for everythin'," Bucky replies as he trails his lips down her neck, hands on her back and pulling her flush against his chest as he sucked on the skin between her neck and shoulder, intent on leaving a mark and letting whoever looked at her know that Loki was taken.

"J-James," Loki whispered his name as she tugged at his hair.

His hands trail down to her ass where he gives it a rough squeeze before maneuvering them around to get the bottom half of their clothes off and out of the way. He'd already been shirtless when he walked into the room, a part of him hoping things would escalate to this moment right here. Loki was on his lap, her tight heat around his throbbing cock and his hands on her hips in a bruising grip as he helped her move on top of him. Her cold hands were on his shoulders and their moans and grunts mixed together in harmony.

If Bucky was being honest, it was kind of thrilling to be able to do it outside, even if they were on the second floor and they had no neighbors for miles. But there was a sort of adrenaline to it that only spurred him on to fuck into his girlfriend with deep and rough thrusts. They were still careful though. They bit back their moans, muffled them on each other's shoulders and swallowed their noises in long messy kisses because they had two boys sleeping downstairs that they couldn't disturb.

Bucky's hands begin to move all around her skin, touching every inch of smooth pale skin as he moved his hips to meet up with her movements. His hands trailed from her back to her toned stomach and traveled upwards until they cupped her breasts and she let out a high pitched moan, hips stuttering and breath coming in short and shaky the way it did before she came. Bucky himself could feel the heat pooling in his lower belly and he sped up his movements to chase his orgasm.

Loki slumps into his body a few minutes later, breathing hard and exhausted after coming down from her high and Bucky's pretty much the same way. He barely has the energy to wrap his arms around his girlfriend's naked body, forever jealous that she didn't even break a sweat. It was one of the upsides of being a Frost Giant that he envies in places like Malibu or those heatwaves in New York that were unfortunately starting to become more and more common with each passing year.

"We forgot a condom again," is the first thing Bucky says to her when his brain switches back to on, still buried deep inside her and starting to harden again.

Loki giggles tiredly into his neck and shrugs.

"Maybe the b word will happen sooner than we both expected," is her reply before she starts moving again and he trails his hand down between her legs to rub at her clit.

*

"I don't like seafood," Tony whines for the millionth time as they head out to a late dinner just as the sun's starting to set.

"We're not eating seafood," Bucky replies for the millionth time as well as he drives them to an Italian restaurant that'd been recommended by Pepper.

"But you eat fish sticks? Logic," Peter grumbles moodily from Tony's right. The two had gotten into a fight just before leaving and apparently weren't going to make up anytime soon.

Tony whines and turns in his seat to hit Peter but the teenager catches his hand and pinches his side, careful not to hurt the child too much. Just as expected, Tony burst into tears and the two adults in the front sighed in exasperation.

"Maybe we should wait on the b word," Bucky tells Loki who sighs and turns in her seat to glare at the two boys.

"Knock it off. I will send you two to bed earlier than your normal bedtime if I have to and ground you as soon as we get back to New York, so either you behave and let us enjoy the rest of the night or I will have James turn this car around so we can go back home. Understood?" Loki scolds the two who immediately keep their hands to themselves and the only sounds coming from the back are Tony's sniffles. "Good."

They reach the restaurant a few minutes after that with no more incidents between the two boys. Bucky carries Tony inside the restaurant while Peter all but clings to Loki as they're lead to a table tucked in a more private area of the restaurant. There's two other families sitting by them and Bucky gives the mom of one of the families a sympathetic look as he sees her two kids arguing.

"You sit here," Loki tells Peter as she points at a chair and Bucky sits Tony across from the teenager so both parents were between them. "No more fighting."

"Got it," both boys reply quietly, slight frowns on their faces.

Tony doesn't even make it to dessert as he sits on Loki's lap and curls up, falling asleep right away. The teenager texts his friends throughout dinner and Bucky can only sigh, not wanting to start an argument with the teen about texting at the table during meals. Usually Peter's an angel that follows directions and is the poster child for the perfect kid, but days like this when he acts like an actual teenager who's moody and just wants to be left alone, he does the exact opposite of what his parents ask him to do.

"Maybe we should send them back and take the rest of the time for us," Bucky suggests to Loki, only half joking, as they walk out of the restaurant with Tony still fast asleep in Bucky's arms.

"Would not be such a bad idea," Loki mumbles as she opens the passenger door and gets in the car.

*

"I got Tony in bed and Peter's light was off so I'd rather not push him tonight," Bucky says as he sits next to Loki on the outdoor sectional on the deck area.

The mage was still in her dress from earlier, but her heels lay on the floor and her feet were up on the couch. There was a glass of wine in her hand and the bottle rested on the table. Bucky had brought a beer out and had unbuttoned his shirt, though he was thinking about taking it off completely thanks to the humidity.

"You're thinkin' bout something," Bucky tells his girlfriend who gives a soft chuckle though her gaze was locked on the pool.

"Wondering when my life became this normal," Loki finally replies after a minute, bringing her glass up to take a sip of her wine and she doesn't need to further explain herself for Bucky to understand. When did they become so domestic that they're sitting outside at nearly ten at night drinking alcohol after dealing with two bratty kids? "Five years ago I was trying to take over New York and now I am sitting here with the most feared assassin of the last century drinking wine and wondering if I should ship off the kids back to New York."

Bucky threw his head back and laughed. After this afternoon, Bucky was seriously wondering if they should send the kids back. The two boys hadn't stopped arguing almost all afternoon, though really Peter had been provoking Tony when he discovered the child's sudden jealousy over the teen getting affectionate with their parents. It was as amusing as it was headache inducing and it takes a lot for Bucky to get headaches since Hydra injected him with their version of the serum.

"Maybe we should. Let them stay here for the next five days and then the last three of our planned time here can be just you and I, doll. Gives us plenty of alone time to work on our little project," Bucky suggests as he wraps an arm around Loki's bare shoulders and pulls her into his side.

"Sounds like a dream. Being kid free for three days."

Bucky hums in agreement and places a kiss to the side of Loki's head. She shifts around until she can place her legs over his lap and cuddles in closer to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to update today because I did the one shot Monday (superfamily so if you're interested go read it!) but after the Spidey news I felt like we could all use a little pick me up. Honestly speaking, I'm really upset that we won't get to see Spider-Man in the MCU anymore and I can't imagine what Tom must be feeling. We've already lost so many great characters this year that we honestly don't deserve to lose another simply because the companies can't get their shit together.
> 
> what a year for MCU fans😔 😔


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki purses her lips in thought as she looks down at her left hand which is holding James's, their fingers laced loosely and finally she says, "Thank you."

Loki wakes up in the morning to the damn sun in her eyes again. She tried to roll over in bed in hopes of finding a shady part, but the whole bed was in the sun's way and she groaned. Wait, where was James?

She sits up with the sheets clutched to her chest and notices that James isn't even in the room.

"FRIDAY, is James up?" Loki asks the AI as she gets out of bed in search of underwear and a shirt.

"Sergeant Barnes is on his way up the stairs," FRIDAY replies happily and Loki thanks her as she sits on the edge of the bed to wait for her boyfriend.

The bedroom door opens and in walks James with a tray filled with food and he pouts when he sees Loki awake to which the mage chuckles fondly.

"I wanted to wake ya up and surprise you," James whines as he sets the tray on a desk and turns to face his girlfriend who's looking up at him in complete amusement. "Back to bed with you."

"Alright, I will humor you," Loki tells him as she gets back under the covers and fixes the pillows so she can sit up and lean against them. "Happy?"

"It'll do." James shrugs and picks up the tray again before taking it over to Loki and placing it on her lap. "Eat up. The boys are downstairs eating and talking with Clint who's askin' for some weird shit."

Loki chuckles and grabs the cup of tea first.

"So what is with all this anyways? Is it a special date? You know I am terrible with dates," Loki wonders as she looks at her boyfriend, setting the cup of tea back down and grabbing the fork to eat her fruit.

"Just thought my girl deserved a bit of extra loving today," Bucky explains with a shrug, a slight blush dusting over his cheeks and Loki can't help but to reach out and brush her fingers lightly against his cheekbones.

Loki purses her lips in thought as she looks down at her left hand which is holding James's, their fingers laced loosely and finally she says, "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For loving me," Loki tells him quietly, eyes filling up with tears that she refuses to release before she tells James everything that she's feeling. "When I was around Anthony's age, I used to see my parents and I would think that there was the perfect someone for everyone. That soulmates were real because I always saw my parents and wished for the same when I grew older. I grew up though and I stopped thinking fairy tales were real. I became bitter, you could say. Growing up in my brother's shadow and then finding out the truth about my heritage and I stopped believing in love. Stopped believing that someone could love me for me and look past who I really am because I was raised thinking that my kind were monsters." A tear rolled down her cheek that James gently wiped away with his thumb.

"You are more than my boyfriend, James. You are my best friend, the person I can trust the most with my deepest secrets and you are the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Because you understand me and despite everything, you were never afraid of me."

"Hey, listen to me," James says softly as he moves the tray to the side and shifts closer to his girlfriend and cups her face in his hands. "You don't need to thank me, doll. I love you and everyday that I wake up next to you, I can't help but to think that I'm so damn lucky to have ya. After everything we've been through, we were just two broken souls tryin' to find someone that would make us whole again and we're here right now stitchin' each other back up day by day. You and the boys are the best damn thing to happen to me and I can't thank life enough for puttin' you guys in my path."

Loki sniffled a few times before throwing herself at James and wrapping her arms around his neck. James buried his face into her neck and pulled her onto his lap.

"I apologize for getting so emotional," Loki says into his shoulder. "I just have never had someone treat me as well as you do. Makes me feel special."

"That's 'cause you are, babydoll. No one ever told you or showed it, but you're so damn special," James whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Love you so so much and I'll never get tired of sayin' it."

"I love you too."

*

"Are you going to buy something for your friends?" Loki asks Peter as they walk around a mall. "MJ perhaps? Get her something nice?"

"Mom," Peter whined with his face a bright red that made Loki laugh.

"Doll, don't embarrass our teen without the rest of our family present to witness this," Bucky scolds his girlfriend playfully and Peter pouts which makes Tony giggle. "You better buy your friends somethin' kid. At least a keychain or a postcard wishing they were here or whatever it is they write these days."

"Get them something nice, darling. Ignore your father."

"As I always do," Peter mumbles under his breath before smiling up at Bucky innocently when the super soldier punches his shoulder lightly.

"Can I buy candy? I want candy," Tony tells them as he spots a candy store up ahead.

They were in Los Angeles today and for the next two days. After yesterday's emotional morning, the couple had decided to take the kids down to a more public area of the beach where they'd spent nearly all day and then in the evening they'd made some s'mores after finding out that Loki didn't know what they were and Bucky hadn't had s'mores. Like ever and well Tony didn't even remember what they were so Peter had basically died on the spot.

"You can pick a few things out, Bambi, but keep in mind that Clint's probably going to steal most of it anyways."

"That's okay. I wanna get some candy for Clint too," Tony says with a shrug as they enter the candy shop which just by looking around is giving Bucky cavities and diabetes.

"You want anythin'?" Bucky asks his girlfriend as he laces their fingers together as they walk after the boys who had grabbed a basket to put their candy in which meant they'd be going overboard.

"I may have a sweet tooth but candy is disgusting," Loki replies and she even scrunches up her nose at the rows of chocolate, gummy bears and other sweet treats which makes Bucky laugh at her reaction.

"Fancy running into you guys here," a voice that they hadn't heard in so long said and the couple turned to find Marcos, Maggie and their two kids; Teddy and Samantha who was in her stroller and much bigger than the last time they'd seen the family of four.

"Tony!" Teddy shouts excitedly as he rushes past the adults and goes over to hug the five year old who dropped a box of gummy worms to hug his best friend.

"Huh, what a small world," Bucky said in a slightly suspicious tone as he unconsciously tightened his hold on Loki's hand.

There was something about the couple that had never made Bucky to fully trust them. Marcos smiles with too much teeth, making him seem almost predatory and Maggie had the picture perfect look of innocence and obliviousness. She looked like she was trying too hard to seem like a submissive wife and looking at her was like seeing a 50's housewife. It was terrifying.

"Marcos. Maggie, hi. It's been awhile," Bucky greets them, shaking Marcos'a hand first and then Maggie's.

"Hello," Loki greeted with forced politeness that only Bucky could detect and he secretly smirked. Apparently he wasn't the only one who got a bad vibe from the couple.

"Over seven months since we last saw each other," Maggie agreed. "How's everything?"

"Pretty good. On vacation right now before the kids start up a new school year," Bucky says as he casts a look over at the boys who are giggling about something though he could see Peter throwing side glances at Teddy's parents.

"How long are you guys in LA for?" Marcos asked, looking at Loki in a way that Bucky didn't like. Marcos eyed the mage up and down, gaze lingering on her pale legs that were exposed from the romper she was wearing.

"Today's our last day," Loki lied easily. "We have to head back to New York tomorrow."

"Such a shame. It would have been nice to get together for dinner or go on a double date," Maggie lamented with a slight pout though it was noticeably more fake than Loki's politeness.

"Such a shame."

Bucky heard Peter snort as he approached them with the other two kids in tow, a bag full of candy in his left hand. Tony and Teddy were still talking and giggling, holding hands and it made Bucky smile despite the two creepy adults in front of him.

"Did you buy the whole store?" Loki asked the teen with a slight glare as she eyed the bag.

"Uh no, what a crazy idea. More like half of the store," Peter explained with a slight shrug and Bucky sighed.

"Mommy," Tony whines as he walks up to his parents, but not before sending a small glare Peter's way and lifting his little arms up towards Loki who sighed. Apparently jealous Tony was going to be a thing now and if a baby came along in the future, well they were going to have some problems.

"Anthony, do not start this again," Loki scolds the child who lets out a long whine and makes grabby hands at the mage who picks up the five year old anyways.

"We should get going, Tony's getting tired and no one wants to witness a tantrum," Bucky tells the couple in front of them who nod though their smiles slip a bit and a weird emotion flickers through their eyes briefly, but it's gone as quick as it came.

"It was nice to see you guys again. Hopefully we can bump into each other again in the future," Marcos says as he placed his hands on Teddy's shoulders. The child was waving at them happily and Bucky waved back.

"Yeah hopefully."

Once they're far from them, Peter lets out a sigh of relief and the two adults turn to face the teen with questioning looks on their faces.

"For some reason my spidey senses kept going off around them," Peter says with a slight shrug. "Maybe it's cause I've been too relaxed lately or something. I'm sure it was nothing."

Bucky and Loki shared a look, but didn't say anything else. It was one thing for them to feel like Teddy's parents were annoyingly too fake and like they were hiding something and another thing for even Peter to feel that there was definitely something going on. So Bucky takes his phone out and sends a message to Nat and Clint, asking them to figure out anything they can on Marcos and Maggie.

*

"So why did you need me to stalk the parents of your son's best friend and future husband?" Natasha asked later that night as Bucky and Loki video called the team after having put the boys to bed. The two had quickly fallen asleep after the long day.

"Just humor us. Did ya find anything?" Bucky asked the red head, completely ignoring Nat's comment, as he and Loki settled against the pillows on the bed with Bucky's laptop on his lap.

"Clint and FRIDAY are trying to hack into some files as we speak because everything that's public about them is way too clean and suspicious," she tells them. "As far as their files tell, they've been married for nearly ten years and they both studied at UCLA before making the move to New York after graduating. Marcos started working at SI almost three years ago and his wife is just a stay at home mom. Like I said, there's nothing that would deem them suspicious but there's definitely something they're trying to hide."

"Peter definitely felt off about them," Loki speaks up and Natasha nods in thought.

"Then it's definitely something we'll be looking into and if we find anything we'll call you back and involve the others, but for now it's best that Clint, FRIDAY and I keep digging. Eventually something will come back. No one is that good at covering their tracks unless there's something else at play."

"Yeah. Hopefully we're just bein' paranoid. Being heroes on vacation isn't as easy as it sounds," Bucky jokes though it falls flat because of how weird it is. Whatever those two are hiding probably isn't anything good and he definitely didn't like the way Marcos kept staring at Loki and then at both Peter and Tony in an almost calculating way.

"Well just try not to think about it and we'll call back immediately if we manage to find something, but it could be a few days."

The call ends after that and Loki lets out a tired sigh as he curls into Bucky's side. Bucky sets his laptop of to the side and wraps his arms around his boyfriend.

"Are you worried?" Bucky asks his boyfriend as he pulls the covers up over them.

"I am more worried about Natasha and Barton finding something. I would rather Marcos just be a creep than turn out to be hiding a dark side," Loki explains as he closes his eyes and lets Bucky's hand rubbing circles on his back soothe him to sleep.

"I know," Bucky mumbles as he reached over to turn off the lights before settling in with his boyfriend who was already fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update !! I saw Endgame this weekend and I've been upset 3000 and my little sister saw it with me and she cried a lot when Nat died cause Nat's her favorite.
> 
> Also Teddy's dad is going to have a bit of a different role here than he did in the og version. You'll probably get some Mysterio vibes so if you haven't seen Far From Home there will be some minor spoilers here in the future. Also jealous bb Tony is the cutest ;-;


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh I love conspiracy theories!" Clint chimes in excitedly.

"Hi Uncle Steve! I missed you lots!" Tony shouts, running towards Steve who picks him up and spins him around.

"I missed you a lot too kiddo, more than the others," Steve whispers the last part which sends Tony into hysterics and the blonde man presses a kiss to the child's cheek just as Bucky, Loki and Peter walk over with smiles on their faces.

Steve notes that they all look well rested and happy, with Peter, Tony and Bucky all having nice tans. Steve draws Peter into a hug, poking his side to get a giggle out of the teenager who pulls away quickly and pouts up at him. The blonde simply chuckles and sets Tony down who runs off with his brother to find the rest of the family. They hear Brownie's excited bark in the distance and chuckle.

"How was Malibu?" Steve asks them with a teasing smirk on his face.

"Wipe that stupid grin of your face, punk," Bucky grumbles as he rolls his eyes and punches his best friend's shoulder playfully. "You're just jealous we managed to get some time off while you guys had to hold the fort here on your own. Just glad we didn't come back to find the tower up in flames."

"Nah, Clint's been too busy playing video games with Thor and Sam so no kitchen accidents or accidental exploding arrows," Steve tells them as they walk towards the kitchen where Tony was sitting on Thor's lap as Wanda got him and Peter a plate of cookies.

"Did you guys bring presents?" Clint asks the couple from where he was perched on the island eating a cold slice of pizza.

"Possibly," Bucky says with a shrug as he leans against the counter and pulls Loki into his arms. "So, what's new?"

"We got called out once for a mission that took no longer than an hour to get under control and that was the day after you guys left. Since then it's been pretty quiet," Natasha explains to them as she places glasses of milk in front of the two boys who thank her.

"Aye! Tis been a quiet week," Thor agrees as he steals a cookie from Tony's plate which has the five year old pouting up at him. "Very relaxing."

"Yeah cause you went off with your Lady Jane all week," Sam teased the god who simply grinned and Loki rolled his eyes at his brother.

"You guys came back just in time, we're heading out to the compound tomorrow for a few weeks for training and to meet with some new recruits," Steve tells Bucky and Loki who nod.

It would be good to spend the summer upstate. Tony would have more room to run around and play instead of being cooped up in the tower like a princess. And if May was okay with it, they could take Peter up with them and make some sort of arrangement where he would spend half the time with his Aunt May and the other half with them. They knew May wouldn't mind, but they still wanted to ask her and still make sure that Peter spent some time with her.

Peter and Tony run off awhile later, Brownie heading after them and that leaves the adults in the kitchen. Natasha pulled out a folder from somewhere, honestly she was a mystery.

"What did you find on Marcos?" Bucky asked the spy and the others looked between the two with confused looks.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Natasha begins to explain as Bucky and Loki take a seat at the table on either side of her.

"Wait, Marcos as in Teddy's dad?" Steve asks as he stands behind Bucky to be able to look at the files that Natasha was pulling out.

"Yeah, him and his wife have always given us a weird vibe," Bucky replies as he looks up at Loki who picked up what looked like a screenshot of someone's social media account.

"Kept looking at Anthony like he held the answers to some lifelong mystery," Loki adds and then looks at Natasha. "What is this?"

"It's an anonymous blog, but with FRIDAY's help we managed to trace it back to Marcos. Now, so far the blog hasn't gotten any type of attention, but it's basically a conspiracy theory blog that's trying to debunk the death of Tony Stark and sudden appearance of Tony Barnes," Natasha explains and suddenly Bucky doesn't like the direction the story is headed in.

Back when they'd found out the de-aging was permanent, Pepper and the PR team had released a statement informing the public that Tony had been badly injured during a fight and his situation was critical. Three days later, once it was a for sure thing that Bucky wanted to raise Tony as his own, another statement was released letting the world know that Tony Stark was dead. They couldn't just outright come out with the truth since adult Tony was constantly getting kidnapped and such and letting everyone know that the genius was now a child well he would be in more danger than before. So Anthony Edward Stark was dead and Anthony James Barnes joined the family.

"He knows," Loki whispers as his eyes lock with Bucky's, fear settling low in his chest at the thought. "Is Pepper aware of this?"

"I told her yesterday and FRIDAY's going to help monitor the account's activity and if there's an increase in traffic. For now we just wait, there's nothing really that could gain the sudden attention of the public since it could very well be brushed off as some lunatic trying to explain that the earth really is flat."

"Can't we get it taken down?" Steve asks the spy who shakes her head.

"It's not really harming anyone and there's a whole lot of blogs that talk about conspiracy theories out there."

"Oh I love conspiracy theories!" Clint chimes in excitedly. "Like the one about Avril Lavigne having been replaced with a clone because the real one died long ago." They all turn to look at Clint with raised eyebrows and the archer shrugs as he grabs another slice of pizza from the refrigerator. "What? I have a lot of free time."

"Way too much," Sam mumbles as he shakes his head.

Bucky and Loki head upstairs to their floor to pack up more things to head upstate tomorrow. They were both trying not to think about the fact that Marcos definitely knew something, or at least suspected.

"Maybe we should get Pepper to release that statement about Tony being his own kid," Bucky suggests as they head towards their bedroom. "I know we agreed to wait, but if Marcos really knows something we should be one step ahead of him."

"I think that would be wise. She could release it tomorrow when we head out for the compound and stay there until the news blows over, as you say," Loki replies with a nod and Bucky snorts.

"I'm heading home. Happy's waiting downstairs," Peter says as he walks out of the room he sometimes shares with Tony. He had his own room now and Tony has gotten better about sleeping on his own, but some mornings they'd still find the two in the same bed.

"Alright kid, tell your aunt we'll drop by later. We leave for the compound tomorrow morning and we want to arrange something so you can spend time upstate and time with her," Bucky informs Peter who nods excitedly and hugs the two before rushing off.

"I'm bored!" Tony whines as he walks into their room a minute after Peter left with Brownie in his arms and Loki sighs. They've kept telling Tony to not pick up the dog so much. Brownie may be small, but she was a bit heavy and they didn't want Tony to hurt himself.

"Well we're packin', but why don't you watch a movie right here?" Bucky asks the five year old who seems to think about it for a second before nodding and climbing up on his parents's bed.

"FRIDAY, play Big Hero 6 please," Tony tells the AI as he settles back against the pillows with Brownie curling up on his lap. As long as Tony was lazy, Brownie was lazy too. "Why are you packing?"

"We are going upstate to stay at the compound for the summer," Loki explains to Tony who cheers. If he could, the kid would probably choose to live at the New Avengers Facility instead of the tower. He loved it up there because of all the grassy area he could run around in.

"Is Peter coming too? And Uncle Steve and the others?"

"Peter will catch up to us soon and yes, Bambi, the others are coming too," Bucky informs the child who nods and focus his attention on the movie.

*

Tony wanders into the communal floor much later, rubbing at his eyes and looking for either of his parents, but FRIDAY had informed him that neither of them were home.

"Hey Hobbit," Clint greets him and Tony immediately scowls at the archer who holds his hands up to show that he means no harm. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"No!" Tony shouts and he goes to hit Clint but someone picks him up from behind which makes the five year old thrash around wildly until he realizes that his Uncle Thor is holding him.

"What ails you young one?" Thor asks his nephew as he cradled the child to his chest, running a large hand up and down his small back in hopes of comforting him.

"Tired. Want my mama and papa," Tony mumbles as he nuzzles his head into the god's neck like a kitten.

"They shall return soon, Anthony. Why don't we wait for them with a bowl of ice cream?"

Tony perks up at that and nods excitedly which makes the god chuckle as he walks them towards the kitchen. It was just them and Clint at the tower right now, the rest being out taking care of some things before they all headed upstate tomorrow.

"Can you tell me about grandma?" Tony asks his uncle as he sits eating his ice cream in a dark blue Captain America bowl and Thor ate his straight from the tub. "I miss grandma."

Tony might have only seen her once, but he'd really liked his mama's mommy and wanted to see her again. He knew she lived in Asgard where his mama and Uncle Thor grew up and she couldn't come visit much, but he hoped to go visit her someday. His Uncle Thor has promised to take him if his mama didn't feel comfortable going. He might be five, but he understands that his mama doesn't get along with his parents because they hurt him a lot.

"Much like your mother, your grandma loves to read and practice her magic," Thor begins to tell Tony who shifts in his chair to better see his uncle who's sitting next to him. "...and she tends to her garden nearly everyday. 'Tis quite a beautiful garden and when I was your age, I loved spending time there."

"Does she gots lots of different flowers?"

"A lot of them, young one. Many flowers in mother's garden are of rare species that you can't find here in Midgard."

"Wow!"

Tony was so caught up in the story that he didn't notice Loki or Bucky standing by the entrance to the kitchen right under the archway. Loki was biting his bottom lip as he heard Thor's story about their birth place (Asgard had never felt like home to Loki, but that didn't matter now because his home was wherever Bucky and Tony were) and Bucky stood behind his boyfriend listening intently and offering Loki some comfort.

"Anthony, should you be eating so much ice cream?" Loki asks after a few minutes when the child asks for seconds and then he looks up at his parents with a sheepish expression.

"Uh yes?" Tony tried and Loki huffed out a laugh while Bucky smirked. "Okay, no, but it's my favorite!"

"Even so, Anthony, too much sugar is bad for you."

"And you get pretty hyper with one bowl anyways," Bucky adds as he walks over to take Tony's empty bowl and place it in the sink. "And the others will be back with dinner in a bit."

"I'm hungry," Tony adds as if he hadn't just eaten ice cream.

"Hey, the little gremlin isn't in a bad mood anymore," Clint comments as he walks into the kitchen, earning a glare from Tony. "Wow, someone hates me today."

"You took my candy. Again," Tony accuses the archer who tries to act all offended, but one look from Thor, Loki and Bucky had him shrugging. "You big fat thief!"

"Alright darling, let's-"

"Well maybe if you learned to share I wouldn't have to steal your candy in the first place, you shrimp!"

"Barton-"

"Maybe if you stopped calling me Hobbit, I'd share, asshole!"

"Enough!" Thor shouts and instantly shuts the two up.

"Anthony, what have we said about repeating such words?" Loki asks his child angrily.

"But mama!" Tony whines as he gets off his seat and stares up at his mother who isn't looking too happy at the moment.

"Enough. You will be heading to the corner and your bedtime will be earlier than usual. Understood?"

"Yes mama."

"Good, now you two apologize and then off to the corner with you," Bucky tells the two who glare at each other until Thor clears his throat.

"Sorry," Tony and Clint mumble to each other and the three other adults sigh and shake their heads.

When the rest of the team return a few minutes later, they find Tony in his designated naughty corner and Clint in another.

"I'm not even going to ask," is all Natasha says after taking one look at the two before heading towards the kitchen with the bags of take out food. "Anyways, we brought Chinese food."

"Sweet and sour chicken?!" Tony calls out excitedly from his corner.

"You know it, little man!" Sam replies and laughs as Tony cheers, but with one glare from Bucky he turned to face the wall again.

"Alright darling, let's have a talk," Loki says as he picks up the five year old and sits with him on the couch while Bucky helps the others set up the table and place the food in plates.

"So what happened here?" Steve asked his best friend with a slight chuckle.

"Clint stole Tony's candy again and the brat got mad and they started calling each other names," Bucky explained as he served Tony his sweet and sour chicken and a side of fried rice with more veggies than usual.

"Aye! Was quite entertaining actually," Thor chimes in just as Clint and Tony walk into the kitchen, holding hands despite the obvious dislike of the situation and it only made the others snicker.

"We good?" Bucky asks Tony and Clint who shrug and sit on opposite ends of the table. "Alright, let's eat then."

Dinner was, like usual, but louder than it had been since Bucky, Loki and Tony had gone off to Malibu for the week. The chatter at the table was mostly made up by the five year old who had learned to love to be the center of attention of his family. He was currently sitting between his Uncle Thor and Wanda and tried putting his vegetables on either person's plate without them noticing, but his papa was sitting across from Tony and gave him a look.

"Oops," Tony says in between giggles and eats the rest of his veggies without a complaint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try for a third update on Friday, but I'm taking my little sister shopping and I'd update Saturday but I'm heading to a party. If I can't update again this week, I'll give you guys 4 updates next week :)
> 
> Also, note, in chapter 2 I had Tony's name as Anthony Edward Barnes, but once I got the idea of what to do with Marcos, I've decided that for the sake of it all, his name's now Anthony James Barnes because for safety reasons they wouldn't want the public knowing that Iron Man is now pint sized. And the public thinking that Tony Stark is dead was something that I accidentally skipped over in previous chapters so just assume that the statement was released between the time skip in chapters 1 and 2 :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Gee, wonder where he gets that from," Bucky mumbles playfully and Thor's loud booming laughter fills up the room, alerting the rest of the Avengers of their presence.

"FRIDAY, where are Loki and Tony?" Bucky asks a few minutes after walking out of a meeting with Steve, Natasha and Sam.

"Loki and the little boss are in the East garden," FRIDAY replies and Bucky thanks her and begins to head out towards the garden.

It was a nice day out and while Bucky had been stuck in meetings all morning about possible new recruits for the team, Loki had said he'd take Tony out to one of the many gardens in the compound to tend to the garden Loki had set up awhile ago.

He finds the two sitting outside under a tree with a blanket underneath them and Loki reading a book out loud to Tony who was curled up into his mama's side with Brownie on his lap. Today's choice of book was _'The Lightning Thief'_ and Tony seemed to be really absorbed in the book, not even bothering to look up when Bucky finally reached their area and sat down next to Loki.

"Where are we in the book?" Bucky asked. He hasn't read the series yet, mostly because ever since becoming a full time parent he hasn't had much time to get into new books.

"Percy just reached the camp, papa! He and his mommy were staying at a house by the beach when it started to storm pretty bad and then they had to leave and they were attacked by a- a mini-tour," Tony explained excitedly and Loki chuckles fondly as he runs a hand through the child's hair.

"Minotaur, darling," Loki corrected and Bucky smiled. "Are you joining us?"

"Yeah. Finally done with the others and now I want to spend some time with my family."

"Yay!" Tony cheered and the two adults laughed and settled to continue the story.

Loki reads three more chapters before Tony falls asleep on Bucky and decides to put the book down and lay down next to his boyfriend and child, enjoying the early afternoon sun.

"You guys have a good day?" Bucky asks his boyfriend quietly as he turns his head to look at Loki who had one hand under his head and the other on his stomach.

"We planted three new different types of flowers though Anthony insists we need more roses," Loki states with a roll of his eyes and Bucky snorts because if it's one thing they already have, is roses and a lot of them of all colors. "Brownie may have eaten a few Daisies and Thor left a mark on the garden when he headed to Asgard earlier. There is a reason why adult Anthony installed that landing pad specifically for Thor so he would stop ruining the gardens. Otherwise, we had a very productive day."

"Your brother's just an overgrown excited puppy, doll. He just forgets that he's not supposed to do it."

Loki laughs under his breath but doesn't disagree with his boyfriend.

"Gerald?" Tony mumbled sleepily as he struggled to blink his eyes open, a confused little look on his face that had Loki reaching out to stroke the child's cheek.

"You'll get your alpaca some day, Bambi," Bucky jokes as he pats the kid's back in comfort.

Tony merely pouts and stretches from where he's still laying on his papa's chest. Brownie heads over towards them after having been sniffing around probably to find a new spot to dig a hole and hide stuff. Loki and Tony had found a pair of Natasha's old Widow Bites buried by Bucky's vegetable garden and a pair of Clint's purple tinted glasses.

"We should head inside. It is almost dinner time and I can see that a storm is starting to head our way," Loki says as he looks up at the sky where a few dark clouds were rolling in from their opposite direction.

"Might be a long night then," Bucky mumbles as he stands up, Tony racing off towards the compound with Brownie chasing after him.

Bucky moves closer to Loki and grabs his hand, swinging them between them and Loki turns to look at him in complete amusement. Bucky simply blows him a kiss and keeps swinging their hands as they follow after their kid with the book and blanket tucked under Loki's free arm.

"I was just coming to get you guys, dinner's almost ready," Steve greets them at the entrance with a smile. "I already told Tony to go wash his hands."

"Thanks, punk," Bucky says as Loki heads off to drop off the book in Tony's room and the blanket in the laundry room. "Tell me someone actually cooked dinner. I don't think I can keep eating pizza and Chinese food every other night."

"No worries." Steve laughed as they headed towards the kitchen where Bruce was cooking an Italian dish. "It's homemade. Bruce is basically banning fast food for the foreseeable future."

"I'm not banning, Steve. We've got a five year old who needs to eat healthier and it wouldn't kill us to try doing the same. We are heroes after all. Wouldn't do the world any good if we were fat and uncoordinated," Bruce explains and Bucky chuckles but agrees with the doctor. "Or on the brink of a heart attack every time we tried to take a swing at someone."

"Tell that to Clint," Natasha says as she walks into the kitchen with Tony in her arms petting her hair. "Pretty sure he keeps bags of chips stashed under his bed."

"He does," Tony confirms without looking at anyone or explaining how he knows. "An' he had Oreos in the vents back at the tower."

"Hobbit! Are you sharing my secrets with everyone?" Clint asks with a whine as he drops down from the vent above the kitchen and landing in the middle of the room. "Unbelievable, you can't trust anyone these days."

"It's called payback, Barton," Tony said in a low tone as he turned his head around to face Clint with narrowed eyes and it made the rest laugh at the five year old's threatening look.

"Are you still going on about me eating your candy? Let it go, twerp."

"Payback," Tony whispers.

"Alright, that's enough," Steve spoke up as he took Tony from Nat and sat him in a chair. "Behave."

"I'm always a good little boy, Uncle Steve," Tony informs him and Bucky snorts as he sits next to the kid as Loki joins them in the room. "My mama says so all the time."

"The best little boy," Loki agrees with a smile as he leans down to kiss the kid's head and Clint scoffs while both Natasha and Bucky roll their eyes.

"Talked to Scott and Hope and they agreed to come down at the end of the week so we can talk about them joining the team," Steve informs them as they all sit down to eat. "They'll be staying for the weekend so we can asses them and negotiate how things would work out with them since they're based in San Francisco."

"Who are Scott and Hope? Are they Avengers like you?" Tony asks without looking up from his plate of pasta, sauce all over his mouth.

"They could be if things work out when we meet them," Natasha replies with a smile as she watches the kid eat his food with his fingers, having given up on using his fork. "They're Ant Man and the Wasp."

"Ant Man and the Wasp? I don't like ants or wasps."

Everyone laughed at the child's response but assured him that they were cooler than the real ants and wasps. Tony only shrugged and went back to eating happily. After dinner, Loki cleaned up Tony while the rest cleaned up the kitchen and then they met up in the entertainment room to watch a movie before Tony's bath and bedtime.

"I wanna watch Hercules!" Tony informs the team as he sits in the middle of the sectional and pulls the throw blanket from the back of the couch onto his lap.

"Oh that's a good one!" Clint agrees as he sits down in his favorite bean bag which was purple and fuzzy.

Natasha sat in the armchair while Bucky and Loki sat on either side of Tony with Bruce and Steve filling out the rest of the sectional.

"FRIDAY, pull up Hercules please," Steve tells the AI who in an instant puts on the movie as the rest settle and the lights dim.

*

"Would you like to continue our book from earlier today?" Loki asks his son as he and Bucky finish tucking the boy in bed after his bath.

Outside, it had started to rain softly and they both prayed that it wouldn't storm because when it did, Tony had the habit of screaming them awake and clinging to them for the rest of the night. They really hoped it didn't storm because Bucky and Loki had plans for tonight.

"Yes please!" Tony tells them as he settles in his bed surrounded by Mister Snuggles, his Bucky Bear, Cap Bear and Brownie who lay at the foot of the bed already fast asleep. They'd come to realize that she was a lazy dog and if she wasn't being carried by Tony or chasing Tony, she was laying somewhere.

"Alright." Loki grabs the book from Tony's book shelf and pulls up the rocking chair in the corner while Bucky sits on the edge of the bed to listen in.

Tony falls asleep quick and then the two adults sneak off towards their room and make sure to lock the door.

The first rumble of thunder comes just as Bucky's finished undressing Loki and pauses with his lips on the mage's neck as lightning follows. Tony doesn't cry out so they keep going. Loki's hands are in Bucky's hair, his eyes closed and head thrown back as his boyfriend starts kissing down his bare chest at an agonizingly slow pace.

The second and third rumble are louder and that's when the rain picks up and the lightning is practically flashing non stop. By then, Bucky's first two fingers are buried deep inside his boyfriend and that's when Tony decides to start screaming out for them.

"How many times have we been cockblocked now?" Bucky asked with a groan as he pulls out of Loki, both taking a moment to breath and get themselves under control.

"Too many for my liking," Loki mumbles before pulling on his clothes from earlier and heading out towards the kid's room.

Bucky cleans up and then heads to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

*

Thor returns three days later, ruining yet another spot of Loki's garden and the mage's fingers start glowing in his anger before Bucky is wrapping an arm around him and pulling him back. Tony rushes off to greet his uncle who picks him up and tosses him in the air gently.

"Hi Uncle Thor! Did ya see grandma?!" Tony asks the blonde god.

"Aye, little one. She sends her warmest regards and hopes to see you soon," Thor tells his nephew while throwing a subtle (or not so subtle since both Bucky and Loki caught it) glance at his brother. "And told me to give you many kisses."

Thor starts attacking Tony's face in kisses and the five year old begins to laugh hysterically. Both Loki and Bucky watch in amusement before Thor finally lets up on his attack and walks over to them with Tony on his shoulders.

"How is Asgard, brother?" Loki asks the blonde as they walk inside the compound. Scott and Hope would be arriving in an hour and it was a miracle they were able to get Thor to arrive before them.

"As it always is. Talked to Sleipnir, he would also like to know when you will return and he would like to meet his little brother," Thor tells Loki whose footsteps falter slightly at the name of his son who resides in Asgard. "Father is not the same you know? Sleipnir has told me that he is trying to be more supportive and has even visited Hela and Fenris. Jormungand has not allowed the All Father to visit him."

"I do not blame him. Jormungand has been known to hold grudges for long and I do not blame him for not wanting to see Odin after everything that he did," is all Loki says, not wanting to think about the swell of hope he feels that maybe Odin did want to change. That he did want to recognize the rest of Loki's children for what they were; his grandkids.

"Gee, wonder where he gets that from," Bucky mumbles playfully and Thor's loud booming laughter fills up the room, alerting the rest of the Avengers of their presence.

"You are asking to get banished to the guest room, Barnes," Loki hisses at his boyfriend and the others snicker.

Later, Tony's playing with some toys while Brownie lays about a foot away from him just observing when FRIDAY lets them known that Scott and Hope have arrived. Tony looks up in curiosity as his whole family stands up from the couches to greet the possible new members of the team.

"H-Hey! Big fan! So nice to meet you, all of you," says the guy who Tony thinks his name was Scott and apparently was Ant Man.

"Forgive him, he's new at this," speaks a pretty lady, kinda tall and with dark hair. "I'm Hope and this is Scott, thank you for meeting with us."

"I'm Cassie and I'm seven," a little girl speaks up as she walks out from behind Scott with a pink backpack and a giant grin.

Tony ignored everything after that and went back to playing, only looking up when Natasha approached him with Cassie who was looking shy as she stood next to Nat.

"Tony, this is Cassie Lang, would you like to show her around and play with her while we talk to her daddy and Hope?" Natasha asks the five year old who nods. "If you guys need anything Vision will be in the kitchen."

"Okay Auntie Nat," Tony replies with a grin and she leans down to kiss his forehead and then smiles at Cassie before leaving. "Hi Cassie! I'm five and Bucky and Loki are my mama and papa."

"Really? You live with Thor and Captain America and the rest of the Avengers?! That's so cool! My daddy and his girlfriend are superheroes too," Cassie says as she follows Tony down the hall towards his play room, the two waving at Vision on their way over.

"Wanna play pirates?" Tony asks her excitedly as he heads to one of the many toy chests in the room.

"Yeah! And we can go hunt for some treasure!"

"I know where we can find treasure," Tony says deviously as he pulls out the plastic swords, pirate hats and eye patches.

"Let's go!" Cassie shouts excitedly as she puts on her hat and eye patch and takes a sword from Tony, the two kids rushing out of the play room in search of their treasure.

When the grown ups get out of their meeting an hour later, they walk towards the communal areas of the compound where they find the two kids sitting in the middle of the kitchen eating cookies, ice cream and chocolate bars.

"Anthony," Loki reprimands his son with a groan as he looks at the mess between the two kids, their mouths covered in chocolate.

"Where did you even find all this, Bambi?" Bucky asks in shock. He's pretty sure they had the candy and cookies hidden away in the kitchen in hard to reach places, but apparently not so hard.

"Tony knows and sees all," is all Tony says and watches as Scott bends down like a little kid himself to steal a few cookies.

"What?" Scott asks with a mouthful when he notices Hope's glare.

"Where's Vision?" Wanda asks in between giggles, noticing that the android was nowhere to be seen.

"I am right here," Vision says as he walks, well floats, into the kitchen from somewhere. "I simply stepped out for a minute. I apologize for not having looked after the young ones properly."

*

The next day, Cassie and Tony are playing out in the yard in the swings that Steve and Bucky had built along with a playset for Tony, when Happy pulls up in the driveway. Since they were so far out, they figured it'd be a good idea to have a small play area for Tony here.

"Happy!" Tony cries out happily as he goes down the slide before racing off towards the driveway with Cassie going after him.

"Hey squirt," Happy grunts out his greeting as he gets out of the car and Tony gasps when he sees Peter getting out from the back with his usual overnight bag.

"Peter! Cassie, look! That's my big brother!" Tony points up at the teen as he looks back at Cassie who giggles and waves at Peter who waves back with a large grin. "Up please!"

"As you wish, your highness," Peter says in a fake British accent that has both kids laughing as he picks up Tony and hugs him tight. "Been good to mom and pops?"

"Duh."

"Somehow I doubt that," Happy pitches in to the conversation as he walks over with Peter's luggage. "Didn't you and your new little friend raid the kitchen of sweets yesterday?"

"How'd you know that?" Cassies asks with wide eyes as she looks up at Happy and Tony too narrows his eyes at the forehead of security in suspicion.

"I have my ways," is all Happy says as he leads the three brats inside where Loki walks out to greet them with a smile on her face.

"Hi mom!" Peter greets her as he sets Tony down and goes over to hug Loki who hugs him back tightly.

"Hi darling, how's May?" Loki asked the teen as she pulls back from the hug and reaches a hand out to brush a strand of curl away from Peter's forehead.

"She's great! Said she's excited to come down and visit soon. Misses her jellybean."

"I wanna see Aunt May," Tony says as he wraps his arms around Loki and effectively getting between her and Peter. His jealousy phase was certainly making Loki rethink the whole b word.

"Well she sends you lots of hugs and kisses," Peter tells the five year old, not even phased by his behavior anymore.

"Alright, you go get settled in and meet us in the kitchen for lunch. The others are going to be training all day," Loki informs Peter who nods and takes his things from Happy who grunts at the thanks. "Would you like to have lunch with us?"

"No, I gotta get going. Meeting up with May for lunch in an hour," Happy explains and Loki's grin widens which makes the man roll his eyes and braces himself for the teasing. "Yeah yeah, you were right."

"I am always right, Happy. Greet May for me and have fun."

Happy nods and leaves after making a silly face at Tony and Cassie who giggle. Awhile back Loki had made an offhand comment about how she thought that May and Happy would make a nice couple. Bucky had looked at her like she'd grown a second head, but here were Happy and May months later having a steady relationship.

"What would you kids like for lunch?" Loki asks the two as she leads them towards the kitchen.

"Mac and cheese!" Cassie and Tony shouted excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm updating today cause I got back early from the mall even tho my feet are killing me. Bought way too much Marvel stuff.
> 
> Because it's a long weekend and I don't go back to work until Wednesday since I took Tuesday off to take my little sister to school on Monday (my baby needs to stop growing ;-;) you'll only be getting two updates, on Wednesday and Friday.
> 
> Part 2 of my superfamily one shot is up now as well


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's your birthday, silly Petey!" Tony tells him rather loudly, right in his ear which makes the teen wince.

Peter stumbles out of his bedroom in the morning dressed in pajama pants with Cap's shield all over and an old t-shirt that had belonged to the adult version of Tony. His hair was a wild mess and he was a little more than half asleep as he rubbed his eyes in hopes of waking up more as he made his way towards the communal kitchen where he could hear everyone and smell food. His stomach growling was what had woken him up, otherwise he would have gladly stayed in bed until much later.

Upon entering the room, it fell silent for about a second before everyone shouted "Happy birthday!"and it startled him wide awake.

"Wha-? I don't- oh my gosh!" Peter stammered out with wide eyes as he stared at literally every member of the team (including Scott and Hope), his Aunt May and Happy. "Why-Why?"

Tony giggles as he rushes towards the teen with his arms up and Peter gladly picks up the child just to have somewhere to hide his reddening face. Tony's arms go around his neck in a hug and Peter hides his face in the five year old's hair.

"It's your birthday, silly Petey!" Tony tells him rather loudly, right in his ear which makes the teen wince.

"No worries kid, the memory loss comes with the age," Bucky teased him as he walked over to pull the teen into a hug which ended up having Tony squished between them and the child making dramatic gestures about needing oxygen.

"You would know about memory loss, pops," Peter fires back as he pulls back from the hug with a giant grin on his face, letting out an indignant squawk when his hair was ruffled. The others simply snickered at the bickering between the two.

"That is enough, my old men," Loki says as she walks over to them with a fond smile. "You both have terrible memories, I doubt it is due to your old ages."

"Well pops is like a hundred." Peter shrugs as he sets Tony down and laughs as Loki rolls her eyes before hugging her teenager.

"Happy birthday, darling," she tells him and kisses his cheek and Peter melts into his mother's embrace for a few extra seconds.

Peter goes around getting greeted by everyone and trying to duck away from the hands trying to mess up his hair even more. His Aunt May kisses his cheeks and goes on and on about how her little boy is growing up so quickly which then prompts Clint and Sam to start teasing him about baby wanting a bottle and Tony giggles and Peter can just feel his coolness dipping. Well, Tony's the only one who thinks he's cool, but he's the only one who matters because that's his little brother and he wants to be the best he can for the kid.

"So kid, how's it feel being fifteen?" Steve asks the teen once they all sit down for breakfast, Peter sitting to the right of his Aunt May and Tony sitting on his other side.

"The same as being fourteen. Just means that I'm closer to getting my drivers license," Peter said happily and half the table winced at the idea of Peter driving legally. They'd all tried giving him driving lessons once or twice and let's just say that it hasn't ended well and that they're glad they don't have neighbors for miles.

"Watch out Queens," Clint jokes as he pours himself a glass of orange juice and snickers at the glare Peter throws his way. "Better stay off the sidewalks."

"Alright, leave the birthday boy alone, boys," Natasha scolds Clint and Sam who were doing most of the teasing, as they usually did.

"We're setting up the grill later, Pete. Your friends should be here around lunchtime and Rhodey and Pepper are also dropping by," Bucky informs the teen who nods excitedly.

Peter could only imagine how crazy this would get. Usually when the whole entire family got together for holidays and other important dates, it got pretty intense and something always ended up broken. Thanksgiving last year had ended with a window in the communal floor broken and a drunk Thor.

"Pete says he wants an alpaca for his birthday," Tony informs his parents later as the four of them plus Brownie walk towards their suite which is where adult Tony stayed and it has four bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a small living/kitchen area.

"Oh that'd be so cool! Can we?" Peter asks just as excited and he turns his pleading eyes to Bucky and Loki who look disturbed at the thought of acquiring such an exotic pet.

"His name's gonna be Gerald," Tony informs Peter who pouts slightly.

"But what if it's a girl?"

"Gerald anyways." Tony shrugs.

Loki sighs and shakes her head as the argument continues. Brownie ignores the two bickering boys and heads off towards her bed by the large window.

"You still want to add a third into the mix?" Peter heard Bucky ask Loki and he frowned in curiosity because certainly that had to mean that they were talking about a baby, right? And if so, was Loki already pregnant?

"Rethinking it," Loki replies but she sends Bucky a smirk that clearly means she's joking.

"Come on, Petey! I made you something," Tony says as he grabs Peter's right hand and begins to tug him in the direction of his room.

Peter smiled down at the child and let the five year old take him towards his room. Tony's room was messy, not that Peter was surprised. Tony tended to wake up early in the mornings and play with his toys until FRIDAY told him that someone else was up. There was an unfinished puzzle in the kiddie table in the corner of the room and the clothes he'd been wearing the day before tossed on the ground. Peter guesses Loki hasn't been in the room otherwise Tony'd be cleaning it.

"Sit!" Tony instructs him, shoving Peter towards his bed and the teen gives a small amused chuckle as he does as he's told and sits on Tony's unmade bed.

Peter watches Tony head towards his close where he disappears inside it for a few seconds before coming back out with a neatly wrapped present with Peter guesses someone helped him wrap because Tony could barely glue Popsicle sticks together.

"Mommy helped me wrap this," Tony explains shyly as he holds the present towards his older brother, refusing to meet his eyes and Peter bit back a coo at the shy five year old. "Papa says that sometimes it's nice to make things for people instead of buyin' them somethin' 'cause it means more."

"Pops is right, spider baby, so thank you for this," Peter tells him, leaning down a bit to be able to kiss the child's forehead before looking down at the tag on the present that reads 'To the best big brother ever!' and he blinks back tears as he starts to unwrap the gift. It was a picture frame, slightly smaller than a poster sized one. Inside the picture frame, there was a collage of pictures consisting mostly of Peter and Tony arranged in the shape of a moon with words off to the side that said, _"I love you to the moon and back"_.

Peter took his time looking at all the pictures, memories of each and every one rushing back to his head and making him smile and blink back tears, again. There was a picture of him and Tony in their matching Spider-Man costumes from their first Halloween together. Another picture with him, Tony and Thor in their matching Christmas onesies. Peter's favorite was one that apparently neither Tony nor he knew was being taken. The two were facing each other and Tony had pink frosting on the tip of his nose, laughing hard and Peter had a cupcake in hand smiling smugly at the child. There were a lot of pictures on the collage that just reminded Peter that he had the best little brother he never thought he'd ever have.

"Do you like it?" Tony asked him quietly, breaking Peter away from his thoughts and from looking at all of the pictures for a fifth time.

"I love it, spider baby," Peter replies sincerely as he sets the picture frame down on the bed gently before pulling the five year old into his arms and holding him tight. "Thank you, Tony."

Tony relaxed in his big brother's hold and wrapped his little arms around the teen's neck. Neither boy noticed their parents standing by the doorway with loving smiles on their faces as they watched their sons.

"Thinking a third one won't be so bad," Bucky whispers in his girlfriend's ear and she nods in agreement. Sure parenting was hard, but moments like these were worth every thing.

*

Later that day, there are picnic tables set out in the yard (not the one with Loki's garden), Rhodey, Steve and Bucky are on grill duty and the rest are around talking with one another. Tony's running off with Cassie and Brownie while Peter, Ned and MJ sit at their own table gossiping.

"Mother asks when you are planning on visiting our home," Thor asks his sister as he stands next to her as she prepares Tony a burger.

"You know very well that Asgard has never been my home," Loki replies a little snappy as she grabs the ketchup bottle and opens it. "James and I have not talked about it yet, but we certainly will go before Anthony and Peter start school."

"They miss you, Loki, and father is very sorry for everything-"

"If he is sorry, he will tell me in person, Thor. Stop apologizing for him like you have been doing since we were kids. If he means it, he will tell me himself." With that being said, Loki finished making Tony's burger and headed off to find her son.

"You okay?" Bucky asks his girlfriend after having seen her's and Thor's discussion.

"Thor will not shut up about Odin being apologetic for everything and keeps pressuring me about visiting Asgard," Loki explains as she sets the plate down on a picnic table before calling Tony over. "I keep telling him that we will head up before the boys start school."

"I'm sure your brother means well, babydoll."

"Food!" Tony cries out excitedly as he runs over to them, crashing into Bucky's legs and giggling when the man pretends to stumble back from the force.

"Wow, Bambi! You're getting so strong, you nearly knocked me over," Bucky tells the five year old who giggles and lets Loki help him up onto the seat.

"I wanna be super strong like Peter!"

"Adorable," they hear MJ comment as she sits across from Tony with her own plate of food. "You're scrawny like him, but I bet you'll be much stronger than this doofus."

"Hey!" Peter exclaimed in mock offense as he sat next to his little brother who grinned up at him smugly. "I'm not scrawny, I'm putting on muscle, see?" Peter flexed his arms to show his growing "muscles" but it only caused his family and his two best friends to laugh at the teen.

"You are adorable," Loki tells her oldest with a smirk as she sits on Tony's other side.

"Mom, you're supposed to be on my side!" Peter whines as he sticks his tongue out at Loki who rolls her eyes. "It's my birthday." He pouts and Loki takes pity on her fifteen year old.

"I apologize, darling," Loki says but they all know she doesn't really mean it because she likes to tease Peter in front of his friends just as much as Bucky does.

The rest of Peter's birthday passes on without anything getting broken. Sure Thor and Steve end up getting drunk on Asgardian mead and Bucky gets tipsy, but overall it was a successful family day. Peter got a lot of gifts, ate a lot of cake and ice cream and took many pictures to remember the occasion by. Summer was coming to an end and Peter was just glad he was getting to spend a few extra days with his new family.

*

The day finally came. Just a week before the kids started school (much to Tony's dismay), Loki and Thor took Bucky and the two kids up to Asgard. Loki had been a nervous mess the night before, having barely gotten a wink of sleep despite Bucky reassuring him that everything would be okay. Loki just wasn't sure how much he trusted his brother's word about Odin's sudden change of heart, so Loki was on edge as soon as they arrived via the bifrost and stood in the observatory with Heimdall.

"My prince, it is good to have you back again," Heimdall greeted Loki, bowing slightly.

"Heimdall," Loki greeted tensely, one hand clutching at Bucky's.

"Hi! I'm Tony!" The five year old greeted the gatekeeper in a cheery tone and Loki wasn't surprised to see the man look down at his child so fondly. Heimdall had after all cared for Loki's children once upon a time (and how sad was that? He had cared and loved Loki's children and Odin, his own father, hadn't), for the short amount of time that Loki had had them before Odin had deemed them dangerous and refused to let bastard children ruin the family's name. "I'm five."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young Tony."

"That's my brother Peter." Tony pointed at Peter who was all but clinging to Bucky in both excitement and anxiety.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, young Peter."

"Uh hi," Peter squeaked out and Thor threw his head back and laughed in delight, clapping a large hand down onto the teenager's back and making him stumble forward.

The walk to the palace was long and Loki, despite walking with his head held high and showing the confidence he's always walked with, was basically dying on the inside. He took joy in seeing his two boys' and Bucky's looks of fascination as they looked all around. Asgard truly was a beautiful place, too bad it held so many bad memories for him.

"My boys," Frigga greets them at the entrance of the palace with a warm smile.

"Grandma!" Tony cried out happily as he let go of his Uncle Thor's hand and ran up to the queen who laughed and bent down to let the child crash into her arms.

"Oh my lovely Anthony! My have you grown!" Frigga exclaimed as she hugged him tight before pulling away to get a good look at Tony who beamed up at her proudly. "It is so good to see you again."

"I missed you lots, grandma."

"As did I, my sweet boy." Frigga let go of Tony completely before her attention went over to Peter who was standing, well more like hiding, between Bucky and Thor who gladly stepped aside to which the teen refrained from glaring at them. "And you must be Peter. Come here, darling."

Loki places a hand on Peter's back to give him a gentle nudge towards Frigga who was smiling at him and looking at him like he was a grandkid she hadn't seen in years instead of just meeting him for the first time.

"H-Hi," Peter stuttered out his greeting, unsure if he was meant to use a more formal title with the Queen of Asgard.

Frigga gave a small laugh before she too pulled Peter into a hug. Loki watched his mother interact with the two boys and thoughts of his own biological children crossed his mind, wondering if his mother would have accepted them as well as she's accepted Peter and Tony. Or was she only accepting these two because Loki actually had a partner this time and wasn't a single parent.

"Loki, my darling," Frigga said as she moved towards her youngest, a look of regret flashing through her eyes as she reached a hand out to caress his cheek.

"Mother," Loki greeted her quietly and finding it hard to keep his emotions in check.

Frigga's hand dropped to her side and then she was greeting Bucky, but Loki just tuned the rest out. There was an ache in his chest and a lump in his throat that wasn't going away.

"Thor, why don't you get them settled in. I am afraid Odin had a last minute business to attend, but he shall return shortly and he would like to speak with you, Loki," Frigga directs her last statement to her youngest who nods numbly.

"Come on, doll," Bucky says quietly in his ear as his metal arm goes around Loki's waist, the two following Thor who was leading Peter and Tony down the long halls of the palace towards their chambers and explaining things as they went.

Once in his old chambers and with Thor keeping the kids busy by giving them a tour of the palace and taking them to meet the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, Loki all but had an emotional breakdown before he could even reach his bed.

"Loki," Bucky calles out worriedly. "Doll, everything's going to be alright. You've got nothing to worry about. Thor and I won't let anyone hurt the boys."

"It's not just that!" Loki shouted brokenly, tears finally rolling down his cheeks. "My kids never got this same excitement from my mother, James! They were always seen as monsters and deemed dangerous by Odin! How can I trust my own brother when he simply sat back and watched as they were ripped out from my arms and did nothing as I screamed and begged for Odin to let me leave Asgard with my kids?!"

Loki sank to his knees sobbing painfully, the memories of that painful day flooding back into the front of his mind and the frightened screams of his four children as they were taken away echoed in his ears.

"Loki, listen to me," Bucky begged as he knelt down in front of his boyfriend and reached out to cup Loki's face in his hands, his own eyes filled with tears and heart clenching painfully at the confession. "I won't let anything happen to our boys and I won't let anything happen to you and if I ever get the chance to meet your other kids, then I promise you that I'm goin' to protect them and love them as much as I love Tony and Peter."

Loki looked up at Bucky through tear filled eyes and burst into sobs again at the sincerity in his eyes. All he's ever wanted was for someone else to understand that his kids were not monsters. That they too deserved to be loved and cared for because they were his babies, not monsters that were to be feared.

"I know, doll," Bucky coos as he holds Loki to his chest, rubbing his back up and down soothingly. "Just let it out."

It was nearly half an hour before Loki was able to calm down and pull away from Bucky to wipe at his eyes. Bucky simply sat there patiently and handed his boyfriend a few tissues. Neither noticed the doors to the room opening nor did they hear the hesitant footsteps heading their way.

"Mom?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my allergies are kicking my ass again so fingers crossed for a second update on friday
> 
> also sorry for that cliffhanger *side-eye emoji* any guesses tho ??


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki froze and stared up at Bucky wide eyed, his boyfriend staring at someone behind the mage's shoulder.

"Mom?"

Loki froze and stared up at Bucky wide eyed, his boyfriend staring at someone behind the mage's shoulder.

"Sleipnir?" Loki choked out as he slowly turned his head to face the youngest of his biological kids.

"Hello mom," Sleipnir greeted Loki with a large smile on his young face and the prince scrambled up to his feet, rushing over to pull the boy into his arms. "I have missed you, mom."

"Oh darling," Loki whispered in complete shock as he hugged tightly the seven year old in Midgardian years. "My baby." Loki sobbed.

Sleipnir clutched at his mother tightly, tears rolling down his own cheeks. His gaze meets Bucky's who was sitting in the small living area of the room to give them some privacy. He was finally a normal boy again and he was hugging his mother for the first time in over a century.

"How-?" Loki was unsure of how to phrase his question as he pulled back from the hug to look at Sleipnir from head to toe. His dark hair curled at the ends, his dark blue eyes sparkled with happiness and his cheeks were still as chubby as the last time Loki had seen him like this.

"Grandfather decided to lift the spell and has apologized for everything that he has done to me," Sleipnir explained as he reached a small hand out to cup Loki's face, brushing away his tears. "I live here now with grandfather and grandmother and Uncle Thor often visits and tells me stories about his time on Midgard."

"And- And does Odin treat you well? Frigga?"

Sleipnir nodded excitedly and proceeded to tell Loki about all the things he's been up to since Odin had lifted his curse. Apparently Sleipnir's chambers were in the same hall as Loki's. Sleipnir also went on and on about how he helped his grandma in the garden and how she was teaching him to better control his magic.

And maybe his parents were trying.

"Darling, I want you to meet James, my boyfriend," Loki said as he lead Sleipnir over towards Bucky who'd been reading a book that had remained on the small table next to the couch from the last time Loki had stayed here.

"Hello," Sleipnir greeted him shyly, clutching at his mom's hand and half hiding behind the tall male.

"Hi there, buddy. It's so great to finally meet ya," Bucky tells him sincerely, a large smile on his face that had Sleipnir relaxing and coming out of his hiding place.

"Y-You wanted to meet me?" Sleipnir asks a little in disbelief as he stares between his mother and Bucky.

"Your mom's always told me stories about you and your siblings and I've been real excited to meet ya," Bucky reassures him.

Loki's eyes widen in surprise when the child rushes over to wrap his arms around Bucky's waist, burying his face in the man's stomach and sniffling quietly. Bucky doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the kid and rubs his back comfortingly. Bucky makes a 'come here' motion and Loki joins the hug.

*

"How are you liking Asgard so far, boys?" Frigga asks her two grandsons as she meets up with them and Thor before they head out to the gardens.

"It's so pretty, grandma!" Tony exclaimed as he skipped happily between her and Peter, holding his brother's hand because he was a curious little boy and Peter just knew he would wander off.

"Yeah, it's so amazing here," Peter echoed his brother's agreement, smiling at Frigga who looks back at them with a warm smile.

"Glad you think so boys. Now, I am sure that you will absolutely love the gardens."

"Mama has one back home at the compound and I helped make it all pretty!"

"Loki helped me out here a lot when he was around your age, Anthony. We would spend hours out here just tending to the flowers and the hours would just blend in together and your grandfather would have to come out here to inform us that dinner was ready," Frigga tells Tony who giggles.

"Sounds about the same," Peter comments. "Pops or I have to go get them otherwise they'll forget to head inside and eat."

Frigga chuckled and lead them down a golden path, bright green grass on either side and flowers of all shapes and colors coming into view. There was a golden bench under a large tree and a fountain sat in the center of the garden. An archway made of red roses lead down another pathway and Peter could spot a pair of swings in the distance with vines coiled around the ropes.

"Did you like to help in the garden, Uncle Thor?" Tony asked the tall blonde, looking up at him and squinting as the sun got in his eyes.

"Nay, young one! I was always training with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, often times heading out on missions," Thor explained with a slight hint of pride in his voice as he puffed up his chest. "Your mother could always be found here when he wasn't busy with his studies, even if the All-Mother herself wasn't."

"Yes. I would often find Loki reading under this very tree," Frigga added with a hint of nostalgia in her tone as she looked at the large tree, probably remembering back to a kid Loki with a book in his hands and a calm expression on his face. "That child always had his nose buried in a book."

The four of them walked around the garden for awhile longer, with Frigga explaining the unusual flower species that Peter stared at with curiosity. Apparently alien flowers were a thing as well.

"Is mom coming?" Peter asks the two adults as he helps Tony sit on one of the swings.

"Maybe after his talk with Odin," Thor replies and Peter winces internally knowing how strained, for lack of a better word, their relationship was.

*

"You wanted to see me?" Loki asks his father in an emotionless tone. He'd been summoned to the throne room and had left a sleeping Sleipnir with James while he talked to his father before meeting up with their other boys.

"My son, come in," Odin replies softly as he motions for Loki to come forward. "I want to apologize to you."

"For what exactly?" Loki asked because there was a long list of things that Odin could apologize for. A lot.

Odin let out a small sigh as he got up from his throne and walked down the steps to be able to stand in front of his youngest. Loki refrained from taking a step back once Odin was about a foot away from him and simply held eye contact with the All Father despite how much he wanted to look away.

"My son, I do regret everything. From how I've treated you to taking away your children. Your mother always told me to place myself in your shoes, to think about how I would react if someone had taken you and your brother away from me when you were children," Odin spoke and Loki scoffed a bit under his breath. "I am afraid that I do not have much time left, my boy. I know that me asking for your forgiveness is a lot to ask after everything, but I want to mend my errors. I have been talking to my grandkids, though getting through to Jormungand has been quite a challenge, that boy is all you."

Loki let a genuine smile grace his face. Despite all his children looking like him, the only one to really inherit more than his looks was Jormungand.

"It will not be easy for me to forgive you. You have caused me so much pain since I was a child," Loki says as he finally looks away from Odin who lets out a small disappointed sigh. "For centuries I had to grow and watch how you preferred my brother over me and once I finally learned the truth, I understood why. You only took me for your diplomatic business. You never truly wanted me."

"I admit that it was that way at first, but as the time went I learned to love and see you as my son. I am truly sorry that I never showed it and I will be eternally regretful of all the pain I put you through."

Loki doesn't say anything. Odin's words sting. Him admitting that he'd only taken Loki as a bargaining token would always hurt, but he could truly see how guilty his father was. Maybe it was time Loki let go of all his resentment and focus on the few good memories with his father that he cherishes. Those long summer days when the four of them would have picnics outside in mother's garden under the tree. The time when he was four and fell off his horse and Odin had held him until he'd calmed down. Or the times when Loki would be upset over not getting a spell right and Odin would sneak some chocolate to the boy. Those good memories were very few, but oh did Loki cherish them like he cherished the last moments he'd held all of his kids.

"With time, perhaps," Loki answered just before the throne room doors opened and Sleipnir ran inside followed by a hesitant James who had a sheepish grin on his face.

"Mom!" Sleipnir shouted in pure glee as he ran up to Loki, crashing into the mage and wrapping his small arms around his mother. "James says I am going to meet Anthony and Peter! Can we go now?!"

"In a minute darling, let me just finish talking with your grandfather."

"Oh." Sleipnir apparently hadn't seen Odin in his excitement to meet his new siblings. "Hello grandfather."

"Hello my boy." Odin smiles at Sleipnir before his eye gazed up towards James who was standing by the entrance of the throne room. "James, come forward please. I would like to speak with you in private."

"Uh yeah sure," James replies nervously as he walked towards Loki and Sleipnir who were looking between the two a little nervously. "It'll be fine. I'll catch up with you and the boys after I'm done."

"We will wait out there," Loki motions beyond the doors before grabbing Sleipnir's hand and taking him away.

Once the large throne room doors closed, Bucky turned to look at Odin and tried to not feel so intimidated by the All Father.

"I know I have not been the best father to Loki, but I do love my boy and it hurts to know everything he's gone through and everything that I have put him through," Odin begins to say as he moves to stand in front of Bucky. "All I ask, however, is that you treat him and all six of my grandchildren right. That you protect them and love them."

"I will, I promise. Loki means the whole world to me and even though I haven't met the rest of his kids, I love them too."

"Very well."

After that, Bucky exited the throne room and found Loki and Sleipnir waiting by a pillar, Sleipnir rushing off towards him and wrapping his arms around the super soldier. Loki walked over to his boyfried with a worried look on his face that made Bucky chuckle.

"Everything's fine, doll. We just had a lovely chat," Bucky reassured his boyfriend who relaxed slightly.

"Can we go meet Peter and Anthony?" Sleipnir asked in a whiny inpatient tone that made the two adults chuckle.

The four of them head outside with Sleipnir getting more and more nervous as they reached the gardens where they could already hear Tony's squeals of laughter and Thor's loud boisterous one. Loki simply held his child's hand and gave it a small comforting squeeze. Frigga spotted them first, standing up from the bench she'd been sitting on and walking towards them with a smile.

"Hello grandma," Sleipnir greets her quietly, standing between his mother and his mother's boyfriend.

"Hello my dear, came to meet your new siblings?" Frigga asked the child who nods, blue eyes darting over to where Peter and Tony were running around with Thor who was chasing them around and pretending to be some sort of monster. "They will love you."

Thor finally approached them about a minute later with the other two kids following after him. Loki honestly thought that Tony's jealousy would come through again as it has been since Malibu, but surprisingly, Tony just smiled and waved at Sleipnir.

"Boys, come here," Loki tells the two who step around their grandma and Uncle Thor to stand in front of their parents and the strange child who looked an awful lot like Loki. "Boys, meet Sleipnir, my son."

"Hi! I'm Tony!" The five year old greeted the nervous child in complete excitement. Tony knew his mama had other kids and he always asked when he would get to meet them and why they didn't live with his mama, but his mama always told him that they were spending some time elsewhere and learning. He knew his mama got upset when he asked about his other siblings, so he tried not to ask often.

"Hi uh I'm Peter," the teen greeted the child awkwardly, stumbling forward when Thor patted his back and Sleipnir giggled quietly into his hand.

"H-Hello," Sleipnir stuttered out quietly.

"Wanna play? Uncle Thor is the big mean monster who's tryin' to eat us!" Tony exclaimed as he reached towards Sleipnir who slipped his hand into Tony's and the two kids ran off with their uncle who was making strange monster sounds.

"So am I older than Sleipnir or is he like my older brother cause ya know, alien years? Or what? I'm so confused," Peter asks Loki who smiles fondly at the teen while Frigga and Bucky laugh.

"What do you think, darling?" Loki questions the teen instead, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they walk along the path to go sit on the bench, Bucky walking behind them and Frigga heading back inside the palace.

"Younger sibling. It would be awkward to call him my older brother when he's Tony's height," Peter eventually replies as he stares at the two kids who are laughing and screaming, Tony defending his older brother from Thor when he manages to catch Sleipnir. "Wait, how old is he in us mortals years?" Bucky snorted at that and Loki's lips twitched upwards in a smile.

"About seven. Then if you are to go by this logic with the others, only Hela is older than you."

"Huh, I've got an older sister. That's so cool!" Peter exclaimed before rushing off to help his two baby brothers escape Thor's clutches.

"This trip went better than I thought," Bucky admitted as the couple sat on the bench with Loki leaning into his side.

"It has been a wonderful trip. I have three of my children here with me and three others I hope to be able to visit soon," Loki replies as he rests his head on Bucky's shoulder as they watch their three boys run around with Thor, Sleipnir in Peter's arms and Tony making silly faces at the seven year old.

"You think the tower's on fire by now?"

Loki replies with a laugh, muffling the sound into his boyfriend's shoulder.

"You really have no faith in our family, Barnes," Loki eventually says in between giggles as he lifts his head to look at Bucky who grinned down at him.

"With Barton at home, I wouldn't be surprised."

Loki shook his head fondly and turned his gaze back to his boys and brother who were rolling around in the grass.

"Is Sleipnir going back home with us?" Bucky asked curiously as he held Loki tightly to his side.

"I believe not. At least not for the moment. Mother is helping him control his magic, to have a better grasp on it and taking him with us before he can complete his studies would be hurtful for him," Loki explained with a sad sigh following after. "I would love nothing more than to take him home with us, but I must admit that he is happy here. Mother and father are treating him right and it is not like the others would want to go home with us either. They have their lives, James, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I cannot take them away from that."

"True, but they'll visit when they want now that Odin has changed."

"They will."

"Mama! I need to use the potty!" Tony shouted with urgency in his tone as he ran over to them, Sleipnir giggling as he follows after his younger brother.

"I can take him!" Sleipnir offered, grabbing Tony's hand and tugging him towards the palace.

"They've become best friends quickly," Bucky says in complete amusement and Loki smiles.

They don't see Odin for the rest of the day, to which Loki scoffs and ignores the disappointment he's feeling. His father talks about changing, but then he doesn't show up for dinner. Even Frigga stares at the empty seat, where Odin always sits, with a mixture of disappointment and a bit of anger because her husband just can't seem to understand that family should come first.

"Can I sleep with Tony and Peter?" Sleipnir asked tiredly as Bucky carried him towards his room, Loki carrying a barely awake Tony and Peter was walking behind them taking in all the details in the hall.

"Yeah, I wanna sleep with Pete and Sleipnir. Please, mama and papa?" Tony asked them as he struggled to lift his head from Loki's shoulder, blinking slowly at both his parents and yawning afterwards.

"Alright boys, but no staying up late. Peter, keep an eye on your younger siblings," Loki informs the teen who mock salutes him and Bucky snickers at his boyfriend's glare.

The couple drop the boys off in the room that Peter and Tony were staying in before heading to their own room where Bucky proceeded to lay back on the comfortable with a long groan. Loki smirked and walked over to his boyfriend, climbing on top of him and leaning down to place a soft kiss to his lips.

"Are you too tired for something extra?" Loki asked in his ear as Bucky's hands came to rest on his hips. "We can cross off 'Having sex on another planet' from your bucket list."

"You found it?!" Bucky exclaims in a mixture between delighted and embarrassed shock as he stared up at his boyfriend with wide eyes and Loki laughed and decided to keep teasing him.

"I did. I must say, I am quite fond of Paris. Maybe that can be our next destination?"

"Well, technically it's a bucket list of places we need to visit together, the sex is just a plus."

"Well?"

"Well what?" Bucky asked in confusion and Loki groaned. "Oh! No, I'm not tired, but like, can we stay in this position?"

"Which means that I have to do all the work because you are tired," Loki concludes as he rolls his eyes and Bucky scoffs playful.

"That ain't it, doll. You just look better from this angle."

The next morning, Loki walked down the hall towards the boys's room to collect them for breakfast. Inside, however, he only finds Sleipnir and Peter who are playing some hand game that Peter taught him yesterday. They both look up when Loki enters and smile. Tony is nowhere to be seen, but Loki supposes he's in the bathroom.

"Morning boys, sleep well?" Loki asks them and the two nod. "Where's your brother?"

"Uh he said he was going to your room. I thought he was with pops," Peter informs Loki with a slight frown on his face and Sleipnir looks up at Loki, worried about where his youngest brother had gone off to.

Loki rushed out of the room with his heart beating wildly in his chest, asking the guards walking around if they'd seen his youngest. They all shook their heads and looked at him apologetically before going on their way.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Loki heard Tony's sweet voice from down another hall that lead to the throne room and Loki quickened his pace until he entered the large room where he found the five year old sitting on Odin's throne and Odin pointing up at the ceiling where part of their history was painted.

Loki leaned against a wall outside of the throne room and sagged in relief. He really needed to have a serious conversation with that boy about wandering off on his own.

"Hi mama!" Tony greets him once he walks into the throne room after having composed himself.

"Hello darling, what are you doing here?" Loki wonders as he walks over, greeting his father with a nod as Odin smiles.

"Grandpa was telling me a story!"

"Yes. This young one is a very curious boy who loves stories," Odin agrees as he smiles fondly at Tony who giggles. "He particularly likes the one of you stabbing your brother."

"Ah yes, I am rather fond of those as well," Loki jokes and both his father and son laugh.

"Your silly mama," Tony says as he walks up to Loki who picks him up and holds him just a tad bit tighter. "Can we go eat? I'm hungry. Oh, and I wanna see papa."

"No worries, darling."

*

Saying goodbye is hard. For everyone, but mostly Loki because he doesn't want to part from his son again even though Sleipnir could visit them anytime and they could visit often as well. Loki and Bucky watch as Tony, Peter and Sleipnir cling to each other for a few long minutes before Loki informs them that they have to go.

Arriving at the tower is no better. Pepper's there pacing the communal floor with her phone pressed to her ear and clearly angry about something. Natasha and Steve don't look much better from where they sit on the couch with a tablet between them, scowls on their faces.

"What's goin' on?" Bucky asked worriedly once they stepped inside, Tony rushing off to find Brownie while Peter stood beside his parents with a concerned look on his face.

"It's Marcos's stupid blog," Pepper hissed out. "It suddenly gained a ton of attention overnight and the traffic keeps increasing every hour and it just started trending on Twitter about an hour ago."

"You should read this," Natasha says in an eerily calm voice as she hands them the tablet with Marcos's blog pulled up.

 _"Anthony James Barnes and Anthony Edward Stark; One in the Same?"_ Loki read out loud, a frown now on his face.

 _"'Now, I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out guys. We now live in a world where aliens are a thing and superheroes are out there constantly saving our asses from crazed maniacs trying to take over the world',"_ Bucky kept reading. _"'Weird stuff happens on a daily bases, so who's to say that de-aging someone is impossible? Surely it can't be a huge coincidence that just a few days after the death of Tony Stark was announced, two of the newest Avengers announce they are adopting a boy named Anthony James Barnes? Huh, not suspicious at all. The change in middle name-'_ What the fuck?"

"People are actually taking this lunatic seriously?" Loki asks angrily as he runs a hand through his hair, all precious traces of his good mood long gone as anger and fear spreads over him. "What are we going to do about this now?"

"Pepper's been going through our options with the PR team, but it looks like this time they will release the statement telling the public that Anthony J. Barnes is actually the son of Anthony E. Stark," Steve informs the couple.

"Can't you guys like, get it shut down? Or like sue him for this?" Peter wondered as he sat next to Natasha who pulled the teen into her side and began to play with his hair. "For like defamation or something?"

"Would defeat the whole purpose of the statement and he's not outright doing it with the intent to harm Tony. He's also not threatening or blackmailing us," Natasha replies and Bucky sighs, looking over at Pepper when her voice begins to rise in volume again. "We'll find a way to put a stop to this."

"Anthony starts school in three days, is it convenient to release the statement now?" Loki wonders as he sits next to Peter.

"Not ideal, but it's spreading like the plague and we're hoping that with the statement people will just view him as a crazy guy with nothing better to do than make up theories."

"Okay," Pepper says as she walks over to them, looking well put together despite the situation. "The statement will be released in about ten minutes. Afterwards, depending on how the public reacts, we might need to set up an interview for you guys to further explain things even though the statement itself pretty much covers the most important points."

"Thank you, Pepper," Bucky tells her and she waves it off.

"It's no problem. It's been my job to keep Tony safe for almost a decade now and him being a five year old isn't going to change anything." Pepper smiles at them as she sat in the armchair. "Now, how was Asgard?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wasted $15 on Funko Pop!Pens and I don't regret it. I got Ragnarok Loki, Far From Home Spidey and Endgame Tony. I just wanna go buy more even if my mom gives me the stink eye every time I buy Funko stuff 😂😂😂


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I no wanna go," Tony mumbles as he shoves his face into his pillow, trying to pull his blankets up over his head but Loki simply chuckles fondly and prevents him from doing so. "School's dumb."

"Why so quiet?" Steve asks the five year old, having gone to get him for dinner. He found the five year old in his bedroom sitting at his little table with an open coloring book on the table and a red crayon in his right hand, though he made no effort to even start coloring his picture.

Tony shrugged in reply, looking out the window with a sad little look on his face that made Steve's heart break a little. The child had been awfully quiet all day, but they could all pretty much guess why. He started school tomorrow morning and despite knowing that the new friends he'd made at daycare would be in the same class as him, Tony was still pretty nervous.

"Is it because of school?" Steve guessed as he took a seat next to the kid in the tiny chair, hoping that no one would walk in right now because he probably looked as ridiculous as he felt. Tony merely shrugged and looked down at the coloring page he hadn't even started yet. Steve briefly wondered how long the child had been sitting here on his own. "Everything will be fine, Tony. I promise that you'll have plenty of fun and you've got your friends there!"

"But I wanna stay here," Tony complained as he looked up at Steve who let out a small fond chuckle. "It's not funny, Uncle Steve. I don't wanna go to school. It's dumb."

"It's not dumb and Peter still goes to school. You want to be like him, right?" Tony nods though there's now a pout on his face because his big bad mean Uncle Steve had pulled out the Peter card. "Well Peter likes school and he goes to school because he wants to be even more smart."

"But he's already super smart!"

"I know, but he wants to keep studying anyways," Steve tells him, reaching out to stroke the child's hair. "Besides, you kinda have to go to school, but I promise that you'll have fun. It's just kindergarten Tony, it's the best time to go to school. Trust me."

"Do you remember when you were in kindergarten?" Tony asked as Steve picked him up and began to carry him out to the kitchen on the communal floor where the whole team was waiting for their baby Avenger to arrive.

"Tony, I'm ninety nine years old, of course I don't remember. And I was always really sick when I was a kid, so I didn't attend school very much. I'm sure Peter remembers, though. He's probably the only normal one out of us," Steve replies and Tony giggles as he buries his face in the super soldier's shoulder.

They reach the communal floor after a short trip in the elevator and were immediately greeted by the smell of a proper home cooked meal and the chatter of the rest of their family. Loki spotted them first and stood up from her seat to go over and take Tony from Steve who sat at the head of the large table with Bucky to his right and Natasha to his left.

"Alright darling, time to eat," Loki says as she places the five year old in the chair next to Bucky's before sitting on Tony's other side.

"What took you guys so long? We've been waiting for you guys," Sam asks Steve as they all start to eat.

"Just reassuring Tony that he has nothing to worry about for tomorrow," Steve replies as he sends a smile Tony's way.

"Yeah, Hobbit! You'll have lots of fun at school!" Clint exclaimed with his mouth full of mashed potatoes to which all the women at the table grimaced.

As dinner progressed, Tony got a tiny bit more excited to attend school in the morning. He was excited to see his friends again after being apart all summer. And if school was anything like daycare then he'd have fun, right?

*

"Darling, wake up," Loki says gently as she runs her fingers through Tony's messy hair, a smile on her face as the five year old whines and tries to move away from his mommy's touch. "Come on Anthony, it is your first day of school and we do not want to be late, do we?"

"I no wanna go," Tony mumbles as he shoves his face into his pillow, trying to pull his blankets up over his head but Loki simply chuckles fondly and prevents him from doing so. "School's dumb."

"Do not call it dumb when you have not even given it a try. Now, your father is making your favorite breakfast so let's hurry up and get you ready. Everyone else will be up in time to see you go off on your first day." Loki got up from the bed and headed over to the table in the corner where he'd laid out Tony's clothes for today. "Anthony, get up."

"Is Peter coming?" Tony asks as he sits up and rubs at his eyes tiredly.

"He is already here. He starts school tomorrow so hurry up so you can see your brother."

"Yay!" Tony cheered and let his mommy dress him without a fuss. The prospect of seeing his big brother always put him in a good mood, except when the two were fighting then it was the complete opposite.

A few minutes later Tony slipped out of his room dressed in dark blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt with dinosaurs on the front. Loki walked out after him with his little Converse in hand and a nostalgic look on her face. Her boys were growing up quickly.

"Morning spider baby!" Peter greeted the five year old with a big smile, getting down on one knee and opening his arms to let the child crash into them.

"Hi Pete!" Tony greeted back as he wrapped his arms around the teenager's arms. "I'm going to school today."

"Are you ready for your first day, big boy?" Peter asked him as he stood up with Tony in his arms and taking the shoes from Loki who mumbled something about helping Bucky in the kitchen.

Tony shrugged, fiddling nervously with the neckline of Peter's t-shirt and the teen couldn't help but smile in sympathy. Every first day of school is nerve wracking and Peter hates them as much as he loves them. He can't imagine what Tony must be feeling right now, being his very first day of actual school and not daycare where he knew he'd be just a few floors away from his family. The kid was probably terrified right now.

"I remember my very first day of school," Peter says as he sits Tony on the couch and sits on the ground in front of him to put on and tie his shoes. "I was terrified of being somewhere new and that my parents weren't around anymore to reassure me that it'd all be okay, but Aunt May and my Uncle Ben were there and they reassured me that I'd be okay and that it would be fun. And it was a lot of fun. That's where I met Ned and we've been best friends since then."

"Really?!" Tony asks in shock. He had no idea that Ned and Peter had been best friends for so long. "Lizzy, Alex and Alana are going to be in my class."

"See?! You'll be okay! You've got friends there and I didn't have anyone I knew on my first day."

"Boys, breakfast," Loki calls as she walks into the living room, smiling when she sees Tony looking more excited about school now that he'd been able to talk to his big brother.

"I made pancakes!" Bucky calls from the kitchen and the two boys race off.

*

After getting hugs and 'have fun', 'be good' and 'I love you's' from the rest of the team, Pepper, Rhodey and Happy, Loki, Bucky, Tony and Peter piled into a car and headed towards the five year old's school. As they drove out of the garage, they saw the paps at the front of the tower hoping to catch an Avenger and question them about Tony Barnes being Tony Stark's son. Despite the statement having been released three days ago, the news was still trending on social media and the news wasn't going to be dropping it anytime soon. So far, only Pepper had given a slight interview about the topic and emphasized the need for privacy because Tony was five and they needed to respect that and keep their distance when the kid was around. Of course it would only be a matter of time before whoever goes out with the kid gets ambushed and no one was looking forward to that moment.

"We're here," Bucky announced as he pulled up into an empty parking space and took off his seat belt. "Come on, kiddies!"

Tony stared out the window at the large school, looking hesitant and still slightly scared. This was his second time seeing the school and it still hadn't gotten any less intimidating.

"Come on, spider baby," Peter says softly as he helps Tony out of the car and hands him his Spider-Man backpack.

Tony held his mommy's hand as they walked towards the school where other parents were dropping off their kids with smiles and hugs. He watched as the other kids easily rushed off towards the play area and he briefly wondered if no one else was as scared as he was. But then again, none of their relatives were Avengers who got hurt and battled all the bad guys all the time. Tony was scared to be in school and to have his entire family hurt from a battle.

"Good morning!" A cheery female voice greeted them and Tony looked up to see a woman with hair like Pep's and a large grin on her face. She was pretty too, like Pep, but slightly shorter and dressed in denim overalls, pink Converse and a rainbow colored top. She was nothing like Ms Karen either, who liked to wear flats and blouses and floral print skirts. "I'm Mrs Wright and I'm one of the three kindergarten teachers here."

"Good morning, I'm James Barnes and these are my wife Lola and our two sons, Peter and Tony," Bucky introduced them, the teacher smiling at each one until she got to Tony and crouched down in front of him.

"Hi, Tony. Are you ready for your first day?" She asked him softly, looking at the child in understanding as she spotted the nervousness in his eyes.

"I-I guess," Tony replies with a slight shrug and Peter giggles from beside Bucky.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of fun. Normally on the first week back all we really do is easy activities and some games to get to know each other better. It'll be plenty fun, I promise."

"Okay," Tony says in complete resignation before turning to face his parents and brother. "Bye."

"Geez kid, at least wait a few seconds before kickin' us out," Bucky jokes and it gets a giggle out of Tony. "Come here."

Tony walked into Bucky's arms and let his dad hug him tight and kiss his cheeks a few times before letting him go. His mommy was next and she was more gentle as she hugged him, letting him cling to her for a few long seconds and breath in her flowery scent and play with her long dark hair. She kissed his cheek once and smiled at him before pulling away and then Peter was picking him up and fake crying about him growing up and Tony was laughing and letting his big brother be silly.

And with that, Tony watched his family walk away and he bit his bottom lip to keep from crying once they got in the car and disappeared from his sight.

"Come on Tony, let's get you settled inside. The bell's about to ring in a minute anyways," Mrs Wright tells him and he nods, following his teacher inside the large classroom.

It was just like his daycare room. There were tables of four, colorful posters were all over the walls and there was a section with a small selection of books and bean bags and another with toys. Mrs Wright told him to pick a table and he sat in the last one at the very back and waited for the bell to ring.

"Tony!" Lizzy shouted in pure glee and Tony turned his head to see his new best friend race towards him with her hair done in two braids and she was wearing a Captain America shirt, baggy jeans and dirty sneakers.

"Hi!" Tony greeted her excitedly as he stood up and hugged her, the two giggling and jumping around. "I missed you, Lizzy!"

"Me too! I had so much fun this summer! Did you do anything fun? I did lots of fun stuff!"

The two began to tell each other of all the fun things they did this summer, ignoring the bell going off and more kids coming in. The two were only brought out of their conversation by two other kids sitting at their table across from them and they gasped excitedly when they saw the twins. Now that the gang was all together, the four shared stories until the teacher called for everyone's attention.

"Morning kids! I'm Mrs Wright, your teacher and you're in classroom 1A. I hope we can have an excellent school year," their teacher told them cheerily as she wrote her name on the board even though half of them probably couldn't read still.

Tony really liked his first day at school. Their first activity was to create their name tags for their tables, they could all decorate and color them however they wanted. Tony of course drew himself in a Spider-Man costume and a wobbly version of Avengers tower in the background. After that, they went around introducing each other and stating a fun fact about themselves. He had so much fun that by the time the final bell of the day rang, Tony wasn't too eager to go home.

"Hi mommy!" Tony greets Loki excitedly as he rushes out of the classroom with his friends following behind.

"Hi darling," Loki greets him back as she kneels down to hug him. "Did you have a nice day?"

"The best!" Tony exclaims as he pulls away from the hug to grin at her and Loki chuckles before pressing a kiss to his forehead and standing up, greeting the other three kids who hug her briefly before rushing off towards their parents. "Is papa home? And Peter? I wanna tell them all about how fun school is!"

"They are, but Peter is leaving after dinner since he starts school tomorrow."

"That's okay, I just wanna tell him that he was right. School is a lot of fun."

Loki simply smiles down fondly at her kid and holds his hand as they walk over to where Happy has the car parked and waiting for them.

*

[A few hours ago...]

Loki, Bucky and Peter return to the tower missing Tony. The tower certainly felt a little quieter without him and even Clint was quieter than normal since he had no one to bicker with. Until Peter arrived and they challenged each other at Mario Kart and the noise level was brought up again.

"So how was dropping off the kid at school?" Natasha asks the couple as her, Steve and the couple head to the kitchen where Loki makes herself her usual tea.

"I bet Bucky cried," Steve chips in teasingly and Loki smirks at Bucky's indignant huff. "He so did, didn't he?"

"Not until we were in the car. I had to drive us home or risk getting into an accident," Loki tells them, laughing at Bucky's betrayed look and the other two join her quickly.

"Lo, you agreed to not say anythin'," Bucky whined as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his flushed face in her neck as their other two friends kept laughing.

"It was either me or Peter telling everyone at dinner time."

"He was crying like he'd never see Tony again!" Peter shouted from the living room, dissolving into loud giggles that made him lose his game against Clint.

"You are so grounded, Parker!" Bucky shouted back as he stood up straight and glared in the direction of the living room. "Anyways, my child just started his first day of school, excuse me for being emotional."

"The most feared assassin everyone," Steve states with a large grin and Loki muffled her giggles into Bucky's shoulder. "And how'd Tony take it? Finally being there."

"He was pretty nervous still, but I am sure he has forgotten about his fears by now," Loki replies as she brings her cup of tea to her lips, scowling as Bucky's hand slips down inside the back pocket of her jeans.

"Anyways, I've got some plans with my lady, keep the teen of our floor, will ya?" Bucky asks Natasha and Steve who make disgusted faces at him while Loki sighs and continues sipping at her tea like Bucky didn't just announce that they were about to have sex.

A few minutes after the two disappeared, Peter walks into the kitchen in search of some snacks and frowns when he doesn't see his parents around.

"Where are mom and pops?" Peter asks and Natasha who's typing up an email in her tablet and Steve who's reading the newspaper, both look up at him.

"Getting dirty on their floor," Natasha replies and Peter makes gagging noises as he grabs a bag of chips and ignores the glare Steve sends his way because it most certainly is too early for chips.

"Gross. I know they're adults and that they're together, but I really didn't need to know that they... ya know. Yuck."

Steve chuckles and goes back to his newspaper when Peter grabs an apple from the fruit bowl before heading back to the living room where Clint's calling out for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bb Tony started school 😭😭
> 
> I finally saw X-Men: Dark Phoenix this past weekend, I didn't think it was as bad as everyone made it out to be, but it was still a little disappointing. Especially since I grew up watching the 90's X-Men cartoons. Hopefully Marvel will do a better job whenever they decide to introduce the mutants into the MCU


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Tony being Tony😂😂

**~ ~ ~ //"Iron Baby"\\\ ~ ~ ~**

"Boys!" Loki calls as he walks down the hall of their floor towards the bedrooms.

Peter rushes out of Tony's room with wide eyes and a nervous smile on his face as he stands in front of Loki and fiddles with his hands. Loki simply raises an eyebrow at his teenager. Peter's looking at him with his 'we did something bad but I'm still going to lie to you to save our asses' look. And it makes Loki wonder what his two boys did this time.

"Alright, what did you do?" Loki asks eventually as he crosses his arms across his chest and leans his weight on his right leg, looking unimpressed and cautious. The last time Peter looked like this, he'd managed to web Tony to the ceiling and the then four year old had drawn a nice picture on the ceiling to remember the occasion by.

"Uh why do you always assume we did something bad? I'll have you know that Tony and I are perfect little angels who-"

Peter's cut off by Loki gasping in surprise as said child walks out of the room.

"Please tell me that is not permanent," Loki says as he looks down at Tony who's grinning up at him like he doesn't have his adult self's beard scribbled onto his face with black marker.

"I am Iron Baby!" Tony shouts as he does the Iron Man pose with his little red gloved hand out like he has a gauntlet and he's about to repulser blast Loki.

"Peter."

"Uh it's not permanent?"

Which translated to 'yeah it's permanent so we're a little screwed'. And Loki wonders when he became an expert in reading his children in just under a year.

"Peter, your brother has an open house at his school tomorrow so we can meet his teacher," Loki says as he kneels in front of a giggly five year old who's lowered his gloved hand. "Did you draw this on him?"

"Technically no. Well yes. I mean, he'd already scribbled on his face because he wanted facial hair, so I just came to help him out a bit," Peter tried to defend himself but quickly took a step back at Loki's glare. "Uh you know what? I think I can hear Sam calling me from downstairs. Right FRI?"

"Correct, Peter," FRIDAY replies with complete amusement in her tone.

Peter rushes off and Loki lets out a sigh but can't help and smile at his baby.

"Alright, Anthony. Let's go see if I can find a spell to clean this mess off your face," Loki eventually says as he stands up with the five year old in his arms.

"But I like it, mama. It's cool," Tony tells him as he pretends to stroke his beard and Loki chuckles as he takes them towards the master bedroom to find his spell journals. "And I wanna show papa."

"FRIDAY, take a few pictures and send them to James, please," Loki informs the AI who does as she's told.

*

**~ ~ ~ //"Doctor Weird"\\\ ~ ~ ~**

Loki couldn't find a spell, so Tony ran around their floor happily, now with a red cape tied around his neck and pretending to make spells with complicated hand gestures. Loki could only smirk and let the child be knowing who he was imitating perfectly well.

"I'm home! And I brought this little rascal with me!" Bucky shouts from the elevator before stepping into the living room with Peter in tow, the two coming to a stop when they see Tony standing on the couch with his cape and making weird hand movements.

"Boom boom woosh!" Tony shouted as he threw his spell at the newcomers. "Hello! I am Doctor Weird, wizard supreme and guard of Hogwarts!"

Peter burst into loud laughter and Loki snorted while Bucky took a second too long to understand what was going on. Once he did though, he couldn't help but to laugh and have FRIDAY send the recording to the rest of the team.

"Not sure Doctor Strange will like this," Bucky mumbles in complete amusement as he walks over to his boyfriend who was sitting on his favorite armchair and bends down to peck his lips.

"Hmm, perhaps not, but it is quite amusing and it will be even more so if he does not find the humor in it," Loki replies watching Tony head over to Peter who'd fallen to the ground from his laughter.

"And the black ink on his face?" Bucky questions as he sits on the armrest of the chair.

"Your children thought it would be funny to draw facial hair on Anthony's face. With permanent marker."

"But Tony's got his open house tomorrow." Bucky frowns.

"Well, his teacher is about to meet a five year old with facial hair."

Bucky chuckled and looked over at his children who were rolling around on the floor giggling and pretending to be engaged in a fight.

*

**~ ~ ~ //"Baby-Hawk"\\\ ~ ~ ~**

Clint and Tony walk into the training room where most of the team are located and they all stop and stare at the two.

"What did you do to my child?" Bucky asked as he stares at Tony who's dressed just like Hawkeye complete with the purple glasses and a toy bow and a quiver with arrows on his back.

"Meet my new protege, Baby-Hawk," Clint announces to the room as Tony grabs an arrow and then fires it with his bow, aiming it at Natasha who was the closest to them, but it lands a few inches in front of Tony with no real destination. "We're working on the aim."

"Hi!" Tony waves at them as he lowers his bow. "Clint said he's gonna train me."

"When you are older, perhaps," Loki told him, looking more amused than anything.

*

strong>~ ~ ~ //"Tony Romanoff ; the Mini Black Widow"\\\ ~ ~ ~

 _"Auntie Nat, look what I brought at the toy store today!"_ Tony shouts excitedly in Russian as he rushes over to his aunt who'd just finished jogging on the treadmill.

Once Tony was close enough to her, she noticed the toy widow bites on his wrists and she couldn't help but to smile proudly at the five year old who was pretending to shoot invisible targets with his widow bites.

 _"Are you a mini Black Widow today?"_ Nat questions him as she wipes her sweat away with a towel, smiling down at the child who stands up straight and grins up at her.

"They had lots of Black Widow stuff at the store. I also got a belt with your logo on it!"

"Our number one fan, kotenok. Now, wanna try for a bit?"

"Yes!"

Half an hour later, Bucky and Loki find the two pretending to shoot at each other with the toy widow bites doing all sorts of moves to dodge their hits. They watch the two go at it for a few more minutes before Tiny rushes over to them to show off his new toy.

*

strong>~ ~ ~ //"Thor Otisson"\\\ ~ ~ ~

"Is that a Hannah Montana wig?" Clint asks as he stares at Tony who's running around the living room wearing a long haired blonde wig, a red cape tied around his neck and a toy replica of Thor's hammer in his right hand.

"Should I be worried that you can recognize a Hannah Montana wig in an instant?" Natasha asks her partner with a raised eyebrow.

"Clint strikes me as the type of person who watches Hannah Montana," Sam replies jokingly and laughs, but it fades out when he doesn't hear Clint deny it. "Oh my god, you did!"

"I think the better question here is who hasn't?" Clint asked him and Natasha, Sam, Bruce and their two soldiers out of time raise their hands. "Ugh, you're all a bunch of losers. Anyways, what's with Thor Montana over here?"

"I am Thor Otisson!" Tony declared as he ran up to Clint with his hammer raised and a stern expression on his face though he dissolved into a fit of giggles right after. "I am a prince of Asgard and the god of thunder!"

"You get the best of both worlds, don't ya?" Clint tells the child as he stares down at him, smirking when the bangs of his wig get in his eyes.

Peter, who was doing his homework in the kitchen a few feet away, snorted at the joke and began to sing the Hannah Montana theme song under his breath.

"Wait, where'd you even get the wig if none of you losers watch the show?" Clint asks the few members of the team who are currently home and they all look at each other and shrug.

"He came out wearin' that after his nap and wouldn't tell me where he got it," Bucky replies eventually.

"Huh."

Maybe Clint wasn't the only adult who'd seen Hannah Montana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a short one that I wrote between last night and this morning to get you guys through the weekend !!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh. So does that mean I'll get a baby brother or sister? Aunt Nat says they gotta be alone to make a baby."

[8:36 AM]

When Tony wakes up, he stays in bed a few extra minutes just stretching and trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes and maybe waiting for his mama to walk in. When he wakes up on his own, FRIDAY always tells his mama and he'll walk in usually within ten minutes of Tony waking up. So Tony waits.

And waits.

And waits some more.

"FRIDAY," Tony calls with a pout wondering why his mama wasn't coming in. "Where's my mama?"

"Sorry little boss, but your parents are currently not in the tower," FRIDAY replies a little apologetically. "However, Captain Rogers is on his way to your room."

"My mama and papa aren't home?" Tony frowns as he gets out of bed with a slight struggle. His bed was a little high and the step stool he used was in the bathroom pushed up against the vanity so he could reach the sink. "Do you know where they are?"

Instead of answering, FRIDAY plays back a video message that Loki and Bucky had left for Tony sometime in the middle of the night.

 _"Hi darling,"_ Loki greets him with a smile. _"Sorry we are not present right now, but your father had the great idea to go on a date at nearly two in the morning."_ Loki rolled her eyes and Bucky scoffed playfully beside her.

 _"You didn't exactly say no, babydoll,"_ Bucky reminds her and Tony giggles a little at their antics.

_"Anyways, be good darling. Your Uncle Steven will look after you until we return and he will take you to the twins's birthday party. We will call you in the morning. Love you, darling."_

"Love you too," Tony whispers as the recording ends just as his bedroom door opens. "Hi Uncle Steve!"

"Morning, kiddo," Steve greets him, easily catching the boy when he runs up to him and jumps. "Let's get you changed so we can have some breakfast, yeah? Anything specific you would like?"

"Hmm I want French toast please," Tony tells him, giggling as Steve drops him on the bed carefully.

"French toast it is, Tones."

Tony sits and waits on his bed, playing with Mister Snuggles and his Cap and Bucky Bears as his Uncle Steve goes to grab him some clothes.

"Where did my mommy and papa go, Uncle Steve?" Tony questions him as he looks up at the blonde with a slightly confused look. "How come they didn't take me with them?"

"They said something about Paris, but I'm sure they were joking. I think," Steve mumbles the last part to himself because knowing them, they somehow decided to end up in Paris instead of a normal picnic under the stars or something. "And we've told you about dates, kiddo. They just needed some grown up time."

"Oh. So does that mean I'll get a baby brother or sister? Aunt Nat says they gotta be alone to make a baby."

Tony was completely unfazed as his uncle seemed to go bright red and choke on his spit as he starts to cough. The five year old simply sat and waited for his answer patiently. He didn't get why his uncle looked so embarrassed.

Sometimes Steve wondered why he always got the weird questions and why Nat was so open with the kid.

"Um I'm not sure, Tony."

"Well Peter says babies come from Paris and that a store-"

"Stork," Steve corrects him with a gentle smile as he removes Tony's sleeping shirt.

"-a stork brings them home. Did mommy and papa go to Paris to make a baby so a stork can bring it later?"

"I- I'm really not sure, Tony. You'll have to ask your parents that when they call," Steve stammers, face still red as he struggles to get the shirt facing the right way so he could put it on Tony.

[9:12 AM]

Tony was sitting at the island on a barstool, coloring in a Disney Princess book while his Uncle Steve cooked them breakfast on his and Sam's floor.

"Hey there little man," Sam greets Tony, ruffling his air affectionately and earning a grunt from the child and slight glare from Steve who'd spent awhile trying to tame Tony's wild curls. "Visiting us in our humble home?"

"I get to stay here all weekend 'cause my mommy and papa are off making a baby," Tony states as he keeps coloring while Sam stares at him wide eyed and Steve chokes on his spit. Again.

"Um TMI?"

"Tony, we've talked about this, kid," Steve tells him, ignoring how pleading his tone is. "They're just on a date and maybe they're not even in Paris. They could be in that little cabin up in New Jersey you guys stayed in once during the summer, remember?"

"Sure Jan," Tony tells him and Sam laughs at that.

"You spend too much time with Peter," Steve mumbles as he goes back to cooking while Sam goes to grab a cup of coffee.

Tony simply shrugs and goes back to coloring until Steve's phone goes off and his Uncle hands it to him telling him that it's his parents calling him.

"Hi! I miss you!" Tony tells them.

"We miss you too, kid," Bucky replies fondly. "Are ya being good to your Uncle Steve?"

"Yep! I'm always a good boy," Tony reminds his dad who chuckles and Sam and Steve give him twin amused looks. "Where are you? How come you didn't say goodbye?"

"We're in Paris, but we'll be back by Monday morning."

"See Uncle Steve!" Tony exclaims as he looks over at the super soldier who's already dreading the next part of Tony's statement. "My mommy and papa are in Paris to make a baby so a stork can bring it! I told you!"

"What?!" Loki and Bucky exclaimed in shock through the line which sent Sam into a bout of hysterical laughter while Steve turned bright red and finished making the French toast.

"Anthony, who told you that?" Loki asks her child who's giggling.

"Aunt Nat said a mommy and a daddy gots to be alone to make a baby and Pete says that the babies come from Paris and a stork brings them," Tony explains his logic as he continues to color, the phone now being on speaker so the other two can hear the conversation.

"Uh no that's not how... I... what the hell," Bucky stutters out, unable to form a complete sentence thanks to his brain short circuiting because of Tony's wild imagination. How do you get out of this situation without scarring a kid?

"Darling, your father and I have talked to you about the sibling situation," Loki reminds Tony in a gentle voice, trying to sound less embarrassed than she really is. "That is something that will not be happening at this moment."

"Imma be real with you chief, that hurted," Tony tells his parents before handing the phone back to Steve and walking off to put his coloring book and crayons away.

"Um what?" Bucky asked in clear confusion and Steve sighed.

"He's been speaking in memes all day. Blame your other child," Steve explains with a slight sigh and Sam snorts as he grabs some plates from the cupboards.

"Me-mes?"

"Ugh Buck, you old man."

"And I thought Steve couldn't get with the times," Sam jokes and even Loki laughs on the other end.

"Ugh, whatever. Just, keep the kid from makin' those types of comments again and please stop tellin' him where and how babies are made. He doesn't need that kinda information right now."

"Yeah yeah. Have fun you two and use protection if you don't want any storks on the landing pad in nine months!" Steve warns them before hanging up to his own and Sam's giggles.

[12 PM]

Tony's sitting in the backseat of one of the many cars the team use with Happy driving to the Parker's residence to pick up Peter who would be going with Tony to the twins's birthday party. The five year old was a little pouty, having wanted his mama or papa to go with him like they'd promised, but at least his big brother was going with him.

"Alright brat, go get the other brat," Happy grunts out as he parks in front of the building and Tony throws a glare at his Uncle.

"I'm five, Harold. Someone can take me easily," Tony reminds the man who lets out a long sigh but gets out of the car anyways and Tony smirks in victory as he follows after him. Tony's gone up to May's on his own and nothing's happened, most everyone in the building knows him by now and the nice old lady next door to May always gives him brownies when she sees him, but Tony knew that Happy wanted to see May.

"Hi, jellybean! Here for Peter?" May asks once she opens the door, gaze fleeting from Tony to Happy quickly.

"Yep! Is he ready?" Tony asks her as he hugs the woman who bends down to kiss his head.

"Not sure, he was talking to Ned a few minutes ago, but why don't you go check?"

Tony nods and runs off, hearing Happy and May greeting each other in the distance. Tony finds Peter finishing packing a bag with some clothes before turning to face him and smiling.

"Hi there, spider baby!" Peter greets him, picking him up and tossing him into the air a few times which made Tony giggle like crazy. "Ready for Alex's and Alana's birthday party?"

"Yep! I got their presents in the car!"

"Alright, then let's go!" Peter informs him as he grabs his bag and carries the child out to where May and Happy are talking by the front door.

"Ready, brats?" Happy asks them.

"Yup," both boys reply in unison and May smiles fondly at them.

"Alright, you two have fun and be good. Jellybean, come visit soon," Aunt May says as she takes the five year old from her nephew and hugs Tony and kisses his head which makes the child giggle and hug her back tightly. "I've missed getting cuddles from my favorite little boy."

"Hey!" Peter exclaims in mock offense as he playfully glares between his aunt and his baby brother and even Happy laughs at his expression. "I see how it is."

May laughs and pulls her nephew into a hug before letting the two boys go on their way. When they reach the party, it's already in full swing. Almost every kid from Tony's class is there, running around in the backyard where there were unicorn and cars decorations; half pastel colored decorations and half red, blues and greens. Tony clung to Peter as he looked around the crowded yard, parents were talking in one area of the yard and the kids were making a mess of everything.

"Hi boys! Come in! You're just in time. There's a clown coming in a few minutes to put on a show for the kids," the twins's mom tells them as she smiles at the pair.

"Thanks, Mrs Paulson," Peter replies, letting her take the two gifts from his left hand, his right holding onto Tony's left.

"Help yourselves to anything on the snack table over there. We'll be having pizza or hot dogs after the show. Are your parents not coming?"

"Uh no, they're off on some mini vacation. Our uncle just dropped us off."

"Ugh, your parents are lucky."

With that, Mrs Poulson walks away and Peter takes them to the snack table that's filled with candy, cookies, brownies, little buckets of popcorn and other things. But Tony isn't hungry because he just got told that a clown was coming and he doesn't like clowns.

"Pete, I don't like clowns," Tony tells his brother quietly, knowing that the teenager would be able to hear him pretty well despite all the kids screaming and the music playing.

"Hey," Peter says gently as he kneels down in front of the five year old who hasn't caught sight of his best friends yet. Despite them being two weeks into the school year, Tony hasn't made friends with anyone else unlike Lizzy and the twins. "Let's make a deal. I know clowns are kinda scary looking, but I promise that this one is a nice and funny clown. He's here to make everyone laugh. We'll watch his act for a few minutes, if you still don't like him say, ten minutes in?, then we can leave, yeah?"

Tony nods and sniffles a little. He honestly didn't really want to be at the party. He missed his mommy and papa and the twins and Lizzy were nowhere to be seen and were probably pretty happy playing with the other kids. Kids that hadn't even glanced Tony's way.

"Hi Tony! Hi Peter!" Lizzy greets as she runs up to them wearing pink leggings and a sky blue hoodie with gold stars about two sizes too big on her small frame.

"Hi Lizzy," Peter greets her back as he stands up from where he'd been crouching next to Tony and the five year old waves at his best friend.

"Come on Tony, let's go play! Alex and Alana are starting a game of tag," Lizzy tells the five year old, reaching a hand out towards him and that Tony takes after looking up at his big brother for reassurance.

Once the twins spot Tony, they run towards him and wrap their arms around the child, telling him that they're really happy that he's there and Tony can't help but to hug his friends back and giggle.

[1:00 PM]

The clown arrives on time and the twins's mom calls all the kids to take a seat on the blankets at the front of the yard, but Tony stays back with Peter, half hiding behind him and trying not to stare at the clown's face.

Tony doesn't want to admit that his fear of clowns comes from walking in on Clint, Sam, Thor and Wanda watching **It** in the communal living room one day a few weeks ago. He'd just woken up from his nap and was looking for either of his parents, but instead walked in on part of the team watching a horror movie about a clown and now Tony couldn't stand to see clowns or red balloons.

The clown wasn't even funny, but all his classmates were laughing and the parents were too. Even Peter looked a little bored by the clown who'd done more balloon animals than Tony could bother to count.

"I need some volunteers!" The clown announced happily and immediately, the hands of all the kids went up and they waved them around excitedly and shouted 'Me!' 'Pick me!' but the clown did not pick any of them as his eyes roamed through the sea of children. Instead they landed on Tony who moved closer to his brother and clutched at his jacket. "How about the little boy in the back with the blue sweater!"

Tony was the little boy in the back with the blue sweater.

"Why don't you come here?" The clown asked him and Tony shook his head, putting his arms up for Peter who looked down at him with a smile before picking him up and letting his baby brother hide his face in his neck.

"Uh sorry, but he hasn't been feeling good," Peter apologizes to the clown a little awkwardly seeing as everyone's gaze was on them.

Mrs Poulson walks over to them as the clown picks another kid, a worried look on her face. Peter had to be honest here and say that he liked her better than Teddy's mom. She didn't give Peter a bad vibe.

"Is he alright, sweetheart?" She asked Peter, trying to take a peek at Tony who was still hiding his face and clinging to Peter's front like a koala.

"Yeah, just been a rough day without our parents," Peter tells her, rubbing Tony's back with one hand.

"Poor thing," she coos as she reaches a hand out to ruffle Tony's hair. "Well you two help yourselves out to any snacks if you want and if you need me to call someone for you to come get you boys, just tell me."

"Will do, thank you."

Once she's gone, Peter rests his head on Tony's and asks him, "You want me to call Happy to come get us or do you want to stay?"

"Want mama," Tony replies instead and if Peter could do magic he'd poof them to Paris in a heartbeat just so his little brother could stop being so sad.

Peter pulls his phone out of his back pocket with a bit of a struggle.

"FRI, can you get Happy to come pick us up? Or whoever's available, please," Peter tells the AI since he can't even use his hand to turn on his phone with the way he's holding Tony.

"Certainly, Peter," FRIDAY replies quickly and then a few seconds later adds, "Captain Rogers is closest to your current location and will be there within the next ten minutes."

"Thanks."

[1:27 PM]

"You boys okay?" Steve asks once Peter walks over to him with Tony still in his arms. He was leaning against the car as he waited for the boys to come out of the party that had barely started about an hour or so ago.

"Yeah, just they had a clown and Tony doesn't do clowns," Peter explains as Steve opens the back door of the car.

"You don't like clowns, mo stoirín?" Steve questions the five year old who lifts his head from Peter's shoulder to look at his uncle.

"No. I want my mama and papa," Tony insists and Steve and Peter share a look.

"How about we have FRIDAY call them once we get to the tower? On video so you can see them, yeah?"

Tony shrugs and lets himself be placed in the middle seat in the back, Peter climbing in next to him. Tony just wants cuddles from his mama and papa. He leans into Peter's side and closes his eyes for a brief second.

The next time he opens them, he's laying on his bed on his Uncles Steve's and Sam's floor with Mister Snuggles next to him. He sits up tiredly and rubs at his eyes in hopes of getting rid of the sleepiness he still felt. His Uncle Steve promised he could call his mama and papa and Tony didn't want to sleep anymore and miss the chance to call them.

Sam pokes his head into the room, the door having been previously left slightly ajar and he smiles when he sees that Tony's up.

"Hi little dude," Sam greets him and Tony gets off his bed and rushes over to the dark skinned man who picks up the cuddly child. "Nice nap?"

Tony only nods, still too tired to form words and his eyelids still feeling heavy with sleep. Sometimes naps were the worst because they left him feeling even more tired. Sam takes them out to the living room where his Uncle Steve and Peter are watching a movie, both looking up and smiling at Tony.

Sam places him on the couch, right next to Peter who wraps his arms around his baby brother. Tony just snuggles into him and fights hard to keep his eyes open.

"Tony," Steve says, waking the child up from his second nap with an amused look on his face. "Your mom and dad want to talk to you."

Tony immediately sat up and took the phone from his uncle with a grin, forgetting all about being tired. Peter giggled at his little brother and moved closer to be able to see and talk to their parents as well.

"Hi!" Tony greets them, waving at the couple who smile and wave back at him.

"Hi boys, hope you're being good," Bucky says with a knowing look and Peter rolls his eyes playfully which makes Tony giggle.

"We're always good, old man," Peter reminds him as he pulls Tony onto his lap so the two can better fit on the screen and see their parents. Loki gives them a look that says that she doesn't believe them and both kids giggle.

"How was the party, Anthony? I thought it ended at four," Loki asked and Tony wrinkled his nose. "Something happen?"

"There was a clown at the party," Peter told them and understanding flashed on their faces.

"Ahh, Bambi," Bucky cooed at the five year old. "Was it scary, bud?"

"He was ugly," Tony says with a pout and Peter stifles his giggles while both their parents carefully mask their amusement. "And he wasn't even funny. Even Pete didn't like him. Right Pete?" Tony looked up at his brother who nodded and accidentally snorted which made the child narrow his eyes at him.

"Right! He was awful," Peter agreed with Tony who grinned and turned to face the phone screen again.

The two adults shook their heads fondly and chuckled.

*

[8:47 PM]

"Are you sleepy?" Steve asks Tony as he continues to starts to lather the shampoo onto his head in a nice massage that was, in fact, making Tony sleepy. It's been a long day.

"Mhmm. You gonna read me a story, Uncle Steve?" Tony asks him, voice kinda quiet and struggling to keep his eyes open in the bath. He really missed having nap time.

"Of course! Any story you want."

"Okay."

"Hey, I'm heading out with Clint and Sam," Peter says as he pokes his head in the room, already dressed in his Spider-Man suit and his mask in hand.

"Alright, Pete, but don't be out too late and if you run into trouble, call the rest of the team," Steve reminds the teenager who resists the urge to roll his eyes though Tony knows him well enough by now to know that he would and he giggles. "I'll have FRIDAY keeping an eye out for you so if you come in late, I'll know."

"Ooh, that sounds like a threat."

"It is."

"I am shooketh," Peter says before rushing away and Tony giggles some more at his big brother's antics while Steve sighs and shakes his head fondly as he continues to wash Tony's hair. "Bye spider baby!"

"Bye Petey!" Tony yells, apologizing to his uncle in between giggles when he catches the man wince. His papa has always told him to be mindful of being too loud when around the more enhanced members of their family because their hearing is more sensible than a normal human's.

The rest of bath time went by pretty quick. By the time Tony was pulled out of the water, it was starting to go a little cold and he was more than ready to get under the covers of his bed and snuggle with his stuffed bears.

Thankfully Steve is quick to change him and then tuck him in bed, not his own but he's still familiar enough with this one to get comfortable.

"Alright, what story do you want?" Steve asks him in a quiet tone, the nightlight being the only source of light in the room in an attempt to lull Tony to sleep quickly. Steve guessed Tony would fall asleep pretty quick, his eyes were already half closed.

"Hmm, about princesses please," Tony mumbles in between a yawn and Steve smiles fondly as he settles against the pillows next to Tony.

Steve's not even halfway done with the story that he made up as he went along, when Tony falls asleep. The super soldier smiles and leans down to kiss his head before getting off the bed carefully and pulls the blankets up to Tony's shoulders. On his way out, Steve bumps into Peter, surprised to see the teen back so soon from patrol.

"Night Steve," Peter mumbles, he too looking about ready to fall asleep where he is.

"Night kid."

*

[1:00 AM]

Tony's only been asleep for about three hours when FRIDAY alerts Steve that the child was wide awake. Again. Groaning tiredly, the blonde super soldier gets out of bed and starts to head to the room Tony stays in when he sleeps over. When he enters the room, he finds the child sitting on the window seat bench staring out the window and looking up at the night sky.

"Tony, what are you doing, mo stoirín? You should be sleeping," Steve tells the child as he walks over to him, he too looking out the window and even though they couldn't see the stars thanks to all the city lights, the moon was still bright and beautiful up there.

"My mommy says that the moon is the same everywhere you go, so I was just telling the moon to tell my mommy and papa that I miss them lots," Tony explains as he tears his gaze away from the moon and looks up at his uncle who smiles softly. "If the moon is the same everywhere, then that means that the moon can also see my mommy and papa."

"I'm sure they know how much you miss them, honey, but they would also want you to go to sleep. It's late and little boys like you shouldn't be up this late. Don't wanna be cranky when Peter, you and I go out for breakfast in the morning, do ya?" Steve questions the five year old as he picks him up and begins to walk over to his bed where Mister Snuggles lay abandoned half tucked in the blankets.

"Can I sleep with you? I want cuddles." Tony pouted up at him with his large brown eyes and the saddest little look on his face that made Steve want to coo and never say no to the kid (within reason of course).

And well, Steve's not one to say no to that look so he just grabbed Mister Snuggles and took Tony to his room. He settled the kid down in the center of the bed and climbed in after him, the two falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it literally took me two weeks to write this ?? like i can't explain why it did. 
> 
> Also, you guys can follow me on Twitter at IMHelaLoki if y'all want. You can send me memes, questions, or just say hi !! Let's be friends and talk about how apparently we're not getting an Ant-Man 3


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit hits the fan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there's talks/mentions of a panic attack at around ""Thor, stop!" Bruce called. Nothing descriptive or overly graphic but still be cautious

The day starts of like normal. Tony fights them in the morning on getting ready for school and it takes a good scolding from Loki for him to get out of bed and get dressed. Bucky makes a comment about Loki being too moody that has the prince changing his hair color to bright pink. Again. Tony merely giggles at his parents antics and hurries off to the communal kitchen where Steve and Natasha are making breakfast.

Afterwards, Tony says goodbye to the few Avengers who are awake and home and heads off with Bucky to school while his mama heads off to work with Pepper.

"Alright, kid," Bucky says as he kneels in front of Tony to fix his jacket and brush back his curls once they're at the school. "Be good, have a nice day and have fun. Remember the rules. Don't leave with anyone that isn't an Avenger, Happy, Peter, May or Pepper. If someone who isn't one of them tries taking you, get the attention of a teacher, okay?"

"Yes, papa. I know," Tony says with a tired sigh as he rolls his eyes. He's been getting the same lecture since he started at the daycare and he knows it by memory now. His papa's so silly.

"Sassy, brat. I love you and I'll see you when I get back from the mission."

"Love you too, papa." Tony giggles and kisses his papa's cheek, careful to not knock off the baseball cap from his head that's hiding his pink hair. Loki had refused to change it back and Bucky wonders if he needs to have a chat with his boyfriend about his more than unusual mood swings. In the last three days Bucky's had his hair changed to every color of the rainbow and he's starting to miss his normal hair color at this point.

Bucky stayed outside until Tony disappeared inside the building and then he left. He had a meeting at SHIELD with Steve and Natasha and he couldn't afford to be late again. They'd be heading out on a mission in a few hours and something in Bucky was making him restless. Like maybe he shouldn't be going away.

Loki's walking towards Pepper's office typing up an email on a tablet when she ends up bumping into a hard chest.

"Watch where-" Loki started to snap at the person she'd bumped into, but once her green eyes landed on the person, she took an unconscious step back as her eyes widened in surprise. "Why are you here?"

"Lola, nice to see you again," the man greets her with a sly smirk as he takes her in from head to toe, making her shiver uncomfortably and mask her discomfort for irritation.

"I cannot say the same, Marcos. But answer me this, why are you so obsessed with my boys?"

"They're not yours and I'm just sick of the lies. I know people don't believe me now, but they will eventually and they'll find out that Tony isn't actually Stark's son but is in fact, Stark himself, just miniature sized."

Loki's heart clenched in fear. How was it possible that this guy knew the truth when it was kept between Fury and the Avengers?

"Don't look so surprised, babe. I know a lot more than you suspect."

"Come anywhere near my boys and I will fucking end you, Hollow. I do not know what you are planning, but know that if you keep coming after my sons, that you will have a whole lot of reasons to regret your miserable mortal life," Loki warns him through clenched teeth and her free hand glowing green.

"What's going on here?" Pepper asked as she walked towards the two with quick steps, a frown on her face.

"Nothing. Was just telling Loki that it's good seeing her again," Marcos says with a slight chuckle before he walked away.

"Are you okay? Come on, let's go to my office," Pepper says as she tugs at Loki's arm.

"He knows the truth about Anthony," Loki tells Pepper once they're in the safety of her office with FRIDAY watching over them. "And he knows more but did not go into detail about what else."

"This isn't good."

The call comes an hour later. The fire alarm went off at the elementary school even though they'd had a fire drill a few days ago so in the mix of the chaos, Tony went missing.

"What kind of school is this if they cannot handle these kinds of situations?!" Loki yelled at the principal angrily, being held back by her brother who was just as angry, if the dark storm clouds outside were anything to go by.

"Mrs Barnes, I apologize terribly for this-"

"But what? Are you going to say that it isn't your fault?" Bruce asks angrily, skin taking on the slightest green hue that worried them all. It'd be no good if the Hulk came out right now.

"No, but when the kids all rushed out in a panic before their teachers could get a hold of them and whoever took Tony had to have acted during those minutes of complete chaos when everyone was outside pushing and shoving. We have the police searching through the cameras hoping to find something, but if you guys want to start your own investigation, then by all means. Now, I need to talk to the fire department."

With that, the principal walked off with a slight scowl while Loki turned in her brother's arms and went limp in his hold. She could hear Clint and Bruce talking in the background, but it all sounded like she was underwater. And she couldn't breath, a pressure on her chest making it feel like she was drowning.

"-ki. Loki!" Thor shouted her name, shaking her to get her to snap out of whatever funk she'd gone into.

"Thor, stop!" Bruce called as he raced forward to stop the god of thunder from shaking his sister. "She's having a panic attack. Just sit her down on the chair, I'll help her."

Thor lowered Loki into a seat and stepped back to let Banner help Loki who was too pale and gasping for air. Barton had gone off to get into contact with SHIELD in hopes of getting to the ones who were off on a mission to return.

"Loki, deep breaths," Bruce coaxed gently as he grabbed her hands and gave them gentle squeezes every few seconds until she managed to give him a weak squeeze back. "We're going to find Tony. He's going to be fine, okay?"

"C-Can't d-do this a-again," Loki managed to say in between sobs and Thor had to look away from his younger sibling, the thunder outside only getting louder until the rain started to fall.

"We found something," Sam says as he rushes into the room with Clint behind him. "The cameras managed to catch a man, tall and kinda broad shouldered wearing a dark sweater with the hood up taking Tony by the hand with another kid."

"Did the cameras manage to catch his face?" Clint asked as Loki's head snapped up to stare at Sam who shook his head. "There has to be other clues as to who took Tony."

Loki frowned and before anyone could ask her what was wrong, she was gone in a smoke of green magic.

"Uh where'd Mean and Spooky go?" Clint asked as he looked around the room as if Loki would reappear beside them.

"She must know something we don't," Bruce says as he stands up from where he'd been crouching in front of a now empty chair. "Did you manage to get into contact with the others?"

"I did, they're on their way. Nat said they'd be here by tonight though Bucky did say to keep an eye on Loki who we already lost." Clint winced and Bruce sighed.

Meanwhile Loki appeared at SI on the floor that Marcos worked on and headed down to his office dressed in his combat armor and hands shaking in anger. He was glad everyone had gone home already, but he knew Marcos would be working until late to catch up on his work.

"Loki, what are you doing here?" Marcos asked walking in behind the angry mage who'd stormed into the man's office only to find it empty.

Turning around, Loki saw Marcos standing there wearing a dark colored jacket and hair soaking wet to which he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Loki used his seidr to pin Marcos to a wall, the man's eyes widening in surprise before he started to laugh.

"Whatever it is that you think I did, you're wrong," Marcos tells him and Loki simply flicks his hand to the side which sends the man flying across the room and hitting a wall. "Gotta admit, you're pretty strong when angry. And it's kinda arousing."

"Where is my son, Hollow?" Loki asked him, approaching the man slowly in a predatory way. "I find it astounding that just when you return, my son goes missing. Are you that brainless as to not heed my warnings?"

"Look, princess, I have no idea what you're talking about," Marcos tells him as he sits up, groaning in pain and grabbing at his aching ribs. "I've been working here all day unlike you."

"Do not forget that I am the god of lies and I can sense perfectly when someone is lying to me. Try again." Loki stands in front of Marcos now with one of his daggers pointed at him, ignoring the rushed footsteps heading their way and instead using a hand to close and lock the door to Marcos's office.

"Fine, I did go out, but only to meet up with my ex wife and son. I was nowhere near your boys," Marcos confesses with a slight shrug before his lips stretch out into a smirk at the end of his sentence.

"Peter," Loki gasps before using his seidr to knock Marcos unconscious and racing towards the door where someone was banging on it and calling his name. "Pepper."

"Loki, the others told me what happened and I figured you'd be here. Are you okay?" The CEO asks frantically as she tries getting the mage to look at her.

"I need to get to Peter," is all Loki says before disappearing again and leaving behind Pepper with questions on the tip of her tongue, but she pulls her phone out to call Bruce and tell him where Loki was headed.

Loki's exhausted by the time he reaches Midtown just as the kids are walking out of school, done with their lessons for the day. He searches the crowds of students for his teenager, worrying more and more when he sees no sign of him. Eventually he spots Peter walking out of the building with MJ and Ned.

"Mom?" Peter calls out in surprise once they reach Loki who's quick to pull the teen into a hug. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Peter hugs Loki back feeling a little scared.

"Anthony's missing," Loki tells him as he pulls away from Peter who feels like a bucket of cold water got dumped on him.

"W-What? Mom, what happened?"

"I will explain at home, but we should get going. I-I do not know if you could be in danger as well and I would rather not risk your safety."

Peter nods numbly and just about says goodbye to his friends before following Loki off towards the parking lot where they find Happy waiting for them. Once inside the car, the driver gives them a small smile and Peter curls up into Loki's side as he tries to wrap his head around the idea of his baby brother being kidnapped.

"We will find him, darling," Loki reassured Peter as he wrapped his arms around Peter who buried his face in the crook of Loki's neck and closed his eyes. Peter appreciates Loki's words, but he knows he won't be okay until he can hold his little brother again.

"I-Is pops home?" Peter asks quietly, clinging to Loki's armor.

"He, Steve and Natasha are on their way home from a mission. They will be home by tonight, but they are aware of the situation and the rest are reviewing cameras and talking to anyone who might have been around during the time Anthony got taken."

"But do you guys know anything? Like how?"

"The fire alarm went off at the school, unplanned, and during the chaos and confusion a guy took the chance to take him. We could not see his face, but I am pretty sure I know who took your brother."

Peter lifts his head to look at Loki and notices the mage's distant look. He guesses it's probably not easy for the prince to go through this with his past experiences with getting his own kids taken away from him and Peter's not sure if Loki's just handling it better than he thinks or he's trying hard to not have a breakdown.

They reach the tower half an hour later and Happy escorts them towards the elevator that takes them all the way up to the communal floor. Peter's still clinging to Loki's side with the mage holding his hand in a form of comfort for the both of them. They step off the elevator and Thor walks towards them right away with a relieved look on his face.

"Loki," Thor breathed out in relief as he walked over to pull his brother and Peter into a hug. "Peter, are you both alright?"

"We are fine, brother," Loki mumbles but he's got his free hand clutching at the back of Thor's armor. "Have you guys found anything else?"

"No, but Pepper told us where you went and by the time SHIELD got there, Marcos was gone," Sam informs Loki who scowls and tightens his hold on both Thor and Peter for a brief second before pulling away from them both. "No trace of him and FRIDAY was down for the amount of time it took him to escape. He could have more people working for him if FRIDAY got taken out."

"Wait, Marcos did it? As in Teddy's dad?" Peter asks the room in general with wide eyes, still standing next to Thor while Loki had walked towards the living room and took a seat next to a quiet Wanda. "No wonder my spidey sense went off when we were around him in LA. Wait, he was working at the Malibu SI HQ, when did he even move back to New York?"

"I saw him at work this morning, as far as anyone else might know, he probably has not been here long, but if this was planned out then who really knows," Loki replies from across the room as he wraps his arms around himself and stares at the floor. "Apparently he and Maggie got a divorce sometime between the last time we saw them and now."

"Think she might know something?" Clint wondered from where he sat on the back of the armchair. "Wanda and I could go pay her a little visit."

Everyone looked over at Sam who was always left in charge when Steve, Natasha and Bucky weren't around to make big team decisions. It was usually really rare for all three of their leaders to be off on a mission at the same time, but when it did happen, Sam was left behind as team leader now that Tony was a kid.

"Go. If you think she's lying to protect him, use any method to get the information out of her," Sam tells the two, sending Wanda a look that made the young woman look up with wide eyes.

"You mean get in her head?" She asked him just to make sure and Sam nodded.

"Keep us updated."

"Aye aye, captain!" Clint calls as he and Wanda rush off to get changed into their uniforms.

"Wait, I want to go too," Peter speaks up a little angrily that they hadn't counted him in.

"Darling, I do not think it is safe for you to do so," Loki tells him as he motions Peter towards him. "Marcos made it seem like you could be next and I do not want to risk you getting taken as well. Please, Peter."

Peter sighed and took a seat next to Loki, leaning into his side again and resting his head on his mom's shoulder and watched the others head towards the kitchen.

*

"Can't this shit go any faster?" Bucky growled angrily as he kept pacing in the QuinJet.

"If you ask me one more fucking time I will push you out," Natasha warns him without even turning around to face him. "The answer remains the same."

"Buck, there's ten minutes left until we get to the tower. Just sit and try to calm down," Steve begs his best friend who stops pacing and turns to glare at him.

"Steve, my child got taken from a place where he was supposed to be safe! My boyfriend fuckin' confronted Marcos on his own and I have a teenager who's apparently also at risk in gettin' taken, don't fuckin' tell me to calm down!"

"That's exactly why we need you to calm down, Bucky! Because Loki and Peter are going to need you right now and Tony can't have you making decisions when you're angry. We need to get our heads on straight to find our kid quickly and without making mistakes."

Bucky deflated at Steve's words, all the anger and fear just leaving his body and leaving him feeling completely numb. Dropping down into a seat in defeat, Bucky wondered where Tony was and if he was okay and hoped that they could find him soon. And he promised that if Marcos really did have something to do with Tony's kidnapping, he'd let every technique he learned as the Winter Soldier lose on the man who dared mess with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this chapter done since Monday, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it. Either way, Tony getting kidnapped was going to happen, it was just meant to happen in 10 chapters but I figured the sooner we get rid of Marcos the better
> 
> Also, Loki didn't go all La Llorona (haunting the streets while screaming and crying where's my kid) because I feel like in this situation he'd be more of a 'find the kid first, breakdown later' type of person.
> 
> Kinda torn between rewatching Teen Wolf or Young Justice (I love DC a lot. I actually grew up watching Batman The Animated Series and Justice League and obvi the og Teen Titans)


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Now is really not the time, Tasha," Loki insists and Natasha understands the meaning behind her words and detects a slight wobble to her tone.

Loki flushes the toilet and wipes her mouth with a paper towel before heading towards the sink to rinse off the taste of throw up. It's been two days since they rescued Anthony and Teddy and the children still have not woken up. The two had been experimented on with the purpose of having powers, much like Wanda's. No one was sure if the experiment had worked, seeing as the boys had't woken up and Bruce hasn't exactly been able to decipher the research they'd found in the building.

And this was also the second day Loki's been sick. She'd wake up feeling nauseous but she wasn't practically one with the toilet until sometime after lunchtime. She kept brushing it off as her worry for her children, but deep down she knew why she was sick. Now wasn't the time and she hoped it was just because she was coming down with something.

"You should really let Bruce run some tests," Natasha says after she walked into the bathroom, her arms crossed against her chest and a hard expression on her face.

"Now is not the time, Tash," Loki replies in a soft mumble as she stares at her red haired best friend through the mirror only to find Natasha staring back at her with concerned green eyes.

"But your health is important, Loki, so you either let Bruce run some tests on you or I will drag you to an exam room right now. Your kids need you and you won't be able to be with them if you're stuck in a hospital bed yourself."

Natasha walks over to Loki and rubs her back, an understanding smile tugging at her lips. Loki found herself smiling back before turning around to hug Natasha who didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the black haired mage.

"Now is really not the time, Tasha," Loki insists and Natasha understands the meaning behind her words and detects a slight wobble to her tone. Loki was nearing a breakdown and Natasha didn't blame her.

Before either could say more, their phones went off with a text from James. Anthony was awake. Loki quickly raced out of the bathroom and headed down the long white halls of the medical bay until he reached the room that Anthony was staying in. James was with him, stroking his hair and pressing kisses to his face which had the little boy giggling.

"Mommy!" Tony cried out happily once he spotted Loki and the mage has never moved so fast in her entire life, nearly tripping over her own boots in her haste to get to her child.

"Oh darling," Loki cried as she embraced the five year old, tears rolling down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you feel alright?"

Anthony nods, but refuses to let go of Loki when the mage goes to pull away. James meanwhile is watching the two with a large grin. The only one missing was Peter, but they'd finally managed to convince the teen to leave the room and go eat something with the rest of the team. Peter's been glued to Tony's side for the last two days, only leaving the room when absolutely necessary. But he supposed the teenager was probably on his way, anxious to see his baby brother awake and well.

**Three Days Ago...**

It's late when Bucky, Steve and Natasha finally reach the tour. The lights in the communal floor are dimmed they find Bruce, Sam, Wanda and Vision in the kitchen sitting around the table with holograms in front of them.

"Hey, anything new?" Steve asks them right away, still dressed in his stealth suit with the cowl pushed off and places his shield leaning against a wall.

"Clint and I went to talk to Marcos's ex wife, Maggie, but she really doesn't know anything and on top of that, Marcos took Teddy as well, who we assume Marcos used as bait to lure Tony, and she's just as desperate to find her son as we are," Wanda explains after setting her cup of tea on the table.

"And there's been no sign of Marcos since Loki payed him a visit," Sam informs them.

"Where's Thor?" Natasha asks, wondering if the god of thunder was off with Loki.

"Thor went off to Asgard in hopes of Heimdall being able to see something," Bruce speaks up with his hands curled around his own tea cup.

"Where are Loki and Peter?" Bucky asks them worriedly after not seeing his boyfriend or teenager anywhere.

"They're up on your floor. They've been up there since Thor left for Asgard awhile ago, maybe Heimdall can help," Bruce tells Bucky who nods and quickly heads towards the elevator to go upstairs to his floor.

Much like the communal floor, the lights are dimmed and there's no noise coming from anywhere. It makes Bucky briefly wonder if the two are getting some much needed rest, but he knows both Loki and Peter are stubborn and they won't rest until Tony's back with them. Not that he's any better. Sleeping is the last thing on his mind right now.

"Doll? Pete?" Bucky calls out as he walks down the quiet hall, brows furrowed at the silence that answered. "Guys, anyone home?"

"Hey, pops," Peter greets him softly as he walks out of the master bedroom with red puffy eyes and dried tear stains on his cheeks.

"Hey kid," Bucky greets him as he pulls the teenager into his arms and kisses the top of his head, just holding him tight and comforting the distraught teen. "Okay?"

"Could be a lot worse," Peter tries to joke, but it falls flat and he sniffles. "Been with mom since after school."

"That's good. Is he in the room?"

"Yeah. Uncle Bruce mentioned he had a panic attack at Tony's school, but since then he's been kinda closed off emotionally. Uncle Thor had to leave for Asgard, but even he's worried. Says mom isn't reacting like he did when Odin took his kids away."

"Have you eaten?" Peter shakes his head and goes to say that he isn't hungry, but Bucky doesn't let him. "Go down to the communal floor and eat something while I talk to Loki. We'll be down in a bit."

Peter nods a bit reluctantly, but lets go of the tight grip he had on his pop's armor and heads towards the elevator. Bucky meanwhile takes in a deep breath before heading into his and Loki's room where he finds the mage sitting on the ground with his back to the bed and staring at nothing.

"Doll," Bucky calls out worriedly as he kneels in front of him and taking his boyfriend's cold pale hands in his. Looking down at his hands, Bucky noticed that Loki's black nail polish was chipped at the tips where the god had most likely chewed at his nails in the nervous habit he'd picked up from some of the others.

"I will not rest until I find our son, James," is what Loki tells him without looking over at him, gaze locked on a spot in front of him.

"But Tony needs us both to not die tryin', Loki. You still need to eat and rest, because whether we find Tony in an hour from now or a week from today, even you can't go that long without eating and sleeping. You're not actually immortal."

Loki doesn't say anything and truthfully, Bucky isn't sure what he was expecting his boyfriend to even say. He just keeps staring at nothing, but lets Bucky keep holding his hands.

"Did they tell you that he took Teddy as well?" Loki eventually asks him, shifting until he can lean into Bucky's side and the metal armed soldier sits beside him and wraps his arms around the prince.

"Yeah. Tony's smart. He wouldn't have gone with Marcos unless he was using his own kid as bait and Marcos knows how to play his cards right. And with Maggie not knowing anything, it's like we've hit a dead end."

"Let me talk to Marcos again, but this time as Maggie. Maybe I will be able to get something out of him," Loki all but pleaded as he turned his gaze away from the wall and looked up at Bucky who was shaking his head.

"No way, Loki. I am not going to risk you like that again," Bucky tries to argue as he stands up and begins to pace the length of their room. "We don't even know what that psycho is capable off or what his intentions are!"

Loki stands up with the intent of convincing his boyfriend to let him do this for Anthony's sake, but as he stands up, he stumbles as his vision goes blurry and if it weren't for Bucky's quick reflexes then he's sure he would have face planted.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asks worriedly as he sits Loki down on the bed, cupping his pale face in his hands. "FRIDAY, call Bruce-"

"No, I am fine. Just stood up too fast, but I am fine, James. I promise." The lie is enough to convince his boyfriend, but not him. Loki doesn't have time to worry about himself, not when his son is out there who knows where.

"Loki, if something's wrong-"

"I am fine. Please, let me talk to Marcos again. I know I can get through to him as Maggie. If it would make you feel better, I can take Tasha and Barton with me to keep an eye at a distance. Anthony's been missing for over half a day now, James, we cannot afford to keep losing time by just sitting here until Marcos makes the first move," Loki pleads this time as he stands up and wraps his arms around Bucky's neck.

Bucky didn't want to cave in, but really, Loki was the one person on the team for these kinds of situations. The amount of times they've used the mage to disguise himself as someone just to get answers or infiltrate in missions was more times than he had fingers on his hands. Didn't make Bucky worry any less each time he did it. There was always a risk, even if Loki was the god of lies, and Bucky didn't want to expose his boyfriend like that.

"We'll talk with the rest of the team first, make a plan and then move out in the morning, but only if you promise to get some rest and eat something."

Loki nods and leans forward to peck Bucky's lips before the two head out of their room and down towards the communal floor.

The others are there, plus Pepper and Rhodey and Carol who looked equally as upset as all of them. Peter was sitting at the kitchen table and smiled up at his parents who stood behind the teen.

"Loki has a plan to get Marcos to talk," Bucky announces to the room.

**Present Day...**

Tony had refused to let go of Loki, so now she was sitting on the bed with the child curled up into her side and Bucky was sitting on a chair on Tony's other side letting him play with his metal fingers.

They all look up when Peter rushes in, wide eyed and tear filled. Tony gasps excitedly and reaches out for his big brother who crosses the room in three quick large steps as Loki moves out of the way.

"Missed you so much, spider baby," Peter says as he hugs the child, not too tight, but tight enough to make it feel like Tony was really there safe and sound.

"Missed you lots, too," Tony mumbles as he clutches at the back of Peter's jacket.

Bruce and Dr Cho walk in at that moment and smile at the scene. Neither boy noticed the new people in the room, but Loki and Bucky walked over to the two doctors in charge of Tony and Teddy for the last two days.

"I'd like to run some final tests on Tony to make sure everything is fine before sending him home," Dr Cho tells the couple who nod, Bucky's arm going around Loki's waist to pull her close.

"And Teddy?" Bucky asked the pair who shook their heads.

"Whatever they gave him still hasn't completely left his system, so he's still in a coma. We're still running tests so I can't give you an estimated time frame for when he'll wake up. I will keep you inform though."

"It's certain though that Teddy was exposed to it for much longer than Tony," Bruce adds afterwards.

"And what will happen to him once he gets better?" Loki questions the three adults who all sigh.

"Maggie and Marcos intended to turn the boys into mutants and Teddy's tears all turned out with the x gene that mutants have so I managed to get into contact with Charles Xavier and he's going to take Teddy in to help him understand and control his powers."

"If and when he wakes up," Dr Cho added quietly. "As for Tony, so far it hasn't manifested, but we will keep monitoring him just in case."

"Thank you," Bucky tells the two and Bruce nods and follows Dr Cho further into the room. "You've been quiet all day. You alright?" Bucky faces Loki with a slight frown.

"I am fine, but I guess I will not be comfortable enough until we can go home with Anthony," Loki replies with a soft smile as she brings a hand up to cup her boyfriend's face.

"Your throat isn't botherin' you, right?"

Loki shook her head and tried her hardest not to flinch when Bucky brought a hand up to caress her bruised skin.

**Two Days Ago...**

The plan was meant to be simple. Loki cast an illusion on himself to look like Maggie and he was meant to talk to Marcos to get information out of him because Maggie didn't know what Marcos's intentions are. Clint and Bucky, their best snipers, were positioned on a roof with a clear shot of Marcos to act in case they needed too.

They meet up at a coffee shop and Loki makes sure to sit at a table outside. As soon as Marcos shows up, the hair on the back of his neck stands up but he tries keeping it cool.

"Where's my son, Marcos?" Maggie, well Loki really, asks right away through clenched teeth as she glares at the man sitting across from her.

"You know damn well where he is, woman. Don't come to play stupid. You're the one who agreed to experiment on him first," Marcos replies casually as he leans back in his chair, gaze calculating as he takes in Maggie.

 _"Son of a bitch, we were played by Maggie,"_ comes Steve's voice through the communication device in Loki's ear. _"This is a trap."_

 _"Loki, you need to get out of there,"_ Bucky instructs a little urgently as Marcos's lips curl into a slow knowing smirk.

"Tell me, Loki. Did you really buy Maggie's act?" Marcos asks the mage who goes to stand up to leave, but his hand shoots out to grab her wrist in a tight hold and pull her back towards him. "It was all her idea anyways, I was just the one running the blog and gathering information on your kids."

Loki growled and dropped the illusion, leaving him in his armor and using his seidr to make Marcos's hold on his wrist drop.

"Where is she now?" Loki asked Marcos who shook his head.

"You're not getting anything else out of me, babe."

Loki pulled his daggers out from his sleeves and pointed them at Marcos who laughed and threw his head back in complete amusement. The others were all shouting in his ear so he turned off his comms to focus on the man sitting so casually in his seat as if he weren't seconds away from death.

"That's real cute," was all he said before he brought his hands up and shot Loki backwards against other tables with a shot of something dark red.

The streets dissolved into utter chaos. An arrow flew from the top of the building across the street only to have Marcos send it elsewhere with a flick of his hand as he advanced towards Loki who was groaning in pain.

"I do have one message from Maggie though," says Marcos as he crouched down in front of Loki and wraps a hand around his neck, squeezing just hard enough to make him gasp and claw at the man's hand desperately. "He's in safe hands."

Steve's shield hit Marcos's side and sent him away from Loki who tried to take in a deep breath but ended up coughing. Natasha was at his side in an instant while Steve and Bucky dealt with Marcos who was putting up a fight.

**Present Day...**

After Bruce and Dr Cho had finished Tony's exams, the rest of the team entered the room to greet the child who was more than happy to see his entire family together. Even his Aunt Carol and Uncle Rhodey we're present!

"You gave us quite a scare, kid," Rhodey says as he ruffles Tony's hair affectionately.

Tony only giggled and asked Carol about Goose and the blonde woman promised to take Goose to the tower once he was at home and well. Peter was still glued to his baby brother's side, though when he wasn't with Tony, he was with Bucky or Loki.

"You alright, darling?" Loki asks as Peter wraps his arms around her and she rubs his back in soft comforting circles.

"Just- What's going to happen now that the whole world knows who I am?" Peter asks into her shoulder and Loki tightens her hold on Peter.

"Well for now, we think it would be wise for you to stay at the tower for a few days until the PR team can hopefully get the public to calm down," Loki starts to explain, looking up as Bucky approaches the two and wraps his arms around them.

"So no school?"

"Not for right now, kid," Bucky says apologetically. "It's all a mess right now and some people out there aren't takin' things well. Right now we just want you to be safe. We're sorry, kid."

"It's fine. I mean- not really, but people were meant to find out eventually and I'm just glad it happened while I was saving my little brother and not because I was being reckless."

Loki gives a fond chuckle and kisses Peter's temple while Bucky hides his smile in Loki's dark hair.

**Two Days Ago...**

Peter was meant to stay at the tower with Vision, but during a moment when the android was otherwise occupied, the teen snuck out in his suit started to swing from building to building with Karen guiding him until he found Maggie.

He followed her until she reached an old abandoned apartment building in Brooklyn where Karen then proceeded to tell him that aside from Maggie, there were other people inside and Peter just knew that Tony had to be in there. So he climbed up the side of the building until he reached the fifth floor where there was an open window and crawled inside. He stayed on the ceiling though to avoid being seen.

"Karen, send my location to the team and tell them that I'm in. Also, keep them updated to what happens," Peter tells his AI who quietly does as she's told, though she would have preferred that Peter wait for backup.

"The apartment down the hall on the left is the only one on this floor with two life signatures," Karen informs Peter who quickly crawls over to the apartment and heads inside.

Tony and Teddy are both in a room laying on twin sized beds and hooked up to an IV looking thing with pink liquid.

"Karen, are they- are they okay?" Peter asks frantically as he lands quietly on the floor and heads over to his baby brother who aside from the needle in his arm, looks relatively okay.

"Their vitals are steady and I am not detecting any serious injuries." Karen is quiet for a minute before she says, "Loki would like to speak to you, Peter."

"Uh patch him through."

"Peter, are you alright? Please tell me you have not taken on anyone on your own," Loki pleads, voice hoarse and he coughs a little at the end.

"I-I found them, mom. I d-don't know what's wrong with them though. They're hooked up to some strange liquid and they're unconscious," Peter informs his mother who relays the information to the others. "Mom, what do I do?"

"Darling, I need you to calm down. We are on our way, but please, do not try to take on anyone on your own and do not unhook the boys from the stuff, we need to check that it will not harm them first. Keep them safe, Peter."

"I will. Hurry please."

The line cuts off and even though he doesn't want too, Peter waits for the team to arrive. Anxiously keeping an ear out for anyone that could head their way. In the long minutes that he sits waiting, the boys don't even stir, their breathing stays even and the bags with the liquid don't even move past the halfway point. It's not long before he hears what sounds like people fighting downstairs, but then he hears someone rushing down the hall towards the apartment Peter and the boys are in so the teen prepares himself for a fight.

And he's not even surprised when Maggie runs in, her expression going from shocked to amused in a second.

"Should have known you'd be here first, Peter," she says from the doorway of the room.

"W-What?" Peter stutters out, the whites of his mask open wide as his heart races in fear.

"Marcos figured it out first and I have to admit, he was only useful in giving me names and your families dirty little secrets," Maggie says as she walks into the room and sits next to Teddy, running a hand through his hair. "You know, it's not fair that people like you exist, Peter. With powers that you only use to do good when there's so much more out there being a part time hero and helping old ladies cross the street. The good guys don't always win, Peter."

"So what? What's your purpose? You're messing with kids who don't even understand the concept of heroes and powers."

"That's why. Because they don't understand right from wrong and can be molded perfectly. They just needed a little help."

"You're insane for doing this to a little kids and you won't get away with this," Peter tells her angrily before shooting webs at Maggie who with just a flick of her hand makes them disappear before they can reach her.

"I've got one more trick up my sleeve, Peter. Hope you enjoy your fame," Maggie says with a wicked gleam in her eyes and Peter froze. She didn't mean revealing his identity, did she?

"Karen?"

"I'm sorry, Peter. The news just hit social media. Everyone knows who Spider-Man really is now," Karen replies in a somber tone and Peter just feels like his world is crashing down around him.

"Peter, move!" Loki shouts and Peter was just about able to dodge a clash from Maggie who growled and turned to face Loki.

**Present Day...**

"Tony's blood work came out perfectly normal," Bruce informs the couple later in the day in the hall just outside of Tony's room. Peter and Thor were inside with the five year old entertaining him while the rest had gone off to either rest, talk to Fury or get something to eat.

"Do we still have to worry about the x-gene appearing later on?" Bucky asks the doctor who was currently cleaning his glasses.

"I can't guarantee you anything, but if we take Teddy for example, he was getting experimented on for who knows how long and Tony was only with them for a day."

"Any news on Teddy?" Loki asked Bruce who shook his head.

"We'll keep you guys updated though."

"Thanks, Bruce," Bucky tells him and they watch the doctor walk away.

Loki turns around and buried her face in her boyfriend's neck, feeling his arms wrap around her waist.

"I know, babydoll. We've still got a long ways to go until things can settle back to normal, but we'll work through it together, hmm?"

"Together," Loki mumbles tiredly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a tough week where I literally couldn't write anything and I started and finished writing this exactly today. I really thought I wasn't going to give you guys an update but alas, I managed to finish and I'm already half way done with the next one. This one's still kinda messy but it's 1000 times better than the last one😂😂
> 
> And still so happy that Spidey is back in the MCU, I'm pretty sure I shed a tear or two.
> 
> Happy spooky season !!👻👻🎃


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When are you telling Bucky?" Natasha asks as the three women stare down at the tests that all confirmed their suspicions.

It's been five days since they rescued Tony and one since they were able to go back home. In that time, the news about Peter being Spider-Man still hadn't died down. If anything, it was only getting worse. The paparazzi outside of the tower was ridiculous and May was even living with them. Reporters were also waiting outside of Peter's school in hopes of catching the teen. All of that was taking a toll on Peter who was quiet and clung to his parents often.

"Have you thought about taking them to Asgard for awhile?" Thor asked Loki during a rare moment when neither boy was glued to Loki's side, the rest of the team being off doing other things. "At least until things calm down here?"

"Would that not be like running away?" Loki asks her brother, leaning her head back against the couch and closing her eyes. She was tired but also felt sick and a bit hungry. "Pepper is planning a press conference for Peter in a few days, leaving now would not be wise."

"It would not be seen as running away. Think about it, perhaps it could benefit not only the boys, but also you." Thor stands up and is about to leave when he turns to face his sister who is now staring at him. "Mother and father were quite worried and they miss you and the boys."

Loki stayed sitting on the couch on her floor until James walked in and smiled at her. He leaned down and pecked her lips before taking a seat next to her.

"Are the boys alright?" Loki asks him as she turns her body so she can drape her legs across his lap.

"Yeah. I left them watching a movie with Steve," James replies as he places his hands on his girlfriend's legs. "Do you feel better?"

"Still have a bit of an upset stomach, but I feel better than this morning," Loki lies. Truth was, she still felt like she would throw up at any second, but James was already worrying enough about the boys, she didn't want to add one more thing to his list to stress over. "Thor mentioned that it would maybe be a good idea to take the boys to Asgard for awhile."

"Hmm, what do you think?" James asks her as he looks down at her legs and starts to massage his way upwards.

"Pepper is setting up a press conference for Peter and we agreed that to send the boys to Anthony's therapist for awhile, not sure if it would be wise to do so at this moment," Loki replies a little hesitantly, peeking up at James through her lashes.

His hands stopped moving just as they reached her thighs and he was quiet for a minute too long which worried Loki that maybe she'd given the wrong answer. Since Anthony got taken, they've both had different views on parenting and it's ended on one too many fights. After what happened, Loki thought it would only bring them closer as a family, but it's actually been the opposite. Loki feels like there's a certain amount of distance between her and James that she's not sure how to start building a bridge to connect them.

"It could be a good idea," James eventually says as he looks up at her and moves his hands to her hips to pull her over onto his lap. "Maybe we could ask their therapist and let Pete do the conference first and then we'll decide."

Loki let out a small sigh of relief that the conversation didn't end in a yelling match. She nodded at his answer and leaned completely against his chest, tucking her head under his chin and closing her eyes as James's arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Hey, James?" Loki called out, intent on bringing up a certain topic but his mumbled reply had her thinking better of it and instead smiled sadly into his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too, babydoll," he replies.

*

It was late at night and Loki was laying awake next to her boyfriend who was snoring away, his arm around her waist. She was lost in thought while absentmindedly stroking James's arm when Anthony starts screaming next door and she's jumping out of bed in an instant and racing towards Anthony's room with James running right after.

"Darling, it's alright," Loki coos as she pulls the shaking and crying five year old into her arms, letting him cling to her as he cries into her shoulder. "You are home and safe, Anthony."

"You want to sleep with us, Bambi?" James asked as he rubbed the child's back.

"P-Please,"'Anthony replies in between hiccups.

And so for the second night in a row, Anthony sleeps between them and they're not even surprised to wake up in the morning with Peter in bed with them curled protectively around his brother. The couple only share a look over their heads as if telling each other 'we can't go on like this' and then Loki's rushing to the bathroom to throw up.

*

"Here," Natasha says as she hands Loki a plastic bag from a pharmacy, the two sitting in a conference room waiting for Pepper.

"Um thanks?" Loki tells her completely confused before opening up the bag and glaring at the spy who shrugged and took a seat next to her. "Natasha-"

"I'm tired about hearing Bucky complain about your morning sickness, which is he really that dense? And I'm sick tired of you not doing anything about it, so here's the quickest way to find out for sure," Natasha explains while raising an eyebrow at her friend who pulls out the pregnancy tests from the bag. "You do know how to use one, right? Or is it different in Asgard?" Natasha asks when she catches Loki looking at the tests like they're something she's never seen in her life before or like they were ready to explode any second.

"Of course I know what these are, Tasha, but my mother was always the one to notice first and then she would drag me to the healers," Loki explained as she put the boxes back in the bag just as Pepper walked in.

"Sorry for making you wait," Pepper apologizes sounding a little out of breath as she takes a seat, her eyes locking in with the pharmacy bag and the items inside it and then looking up at Loki with a slightly surprised look. "Are you-?"

"The symptoms are there, but I am the one who does not want to believe that I could be," Loki admits as she sets the bag on the table and debating on whether she should banish it somewhere else. "With everything that has happened, it just is not a good time."

"One step at a time, honey. First, you head to the bathroom right now and take those tests and then we will talk about the upcoming press conference and then we'll go from there," Pepper informs Loki who has no choice but to head out to the bathroom.

~

"When are you telling Bucky?" Natasha asks as the three women stare down at the tests that all confirmed their suspicions.

"Is there a right time to do so with everything that is going on? The press conference is tomorrow, the boys start their therapy the day after and we still have to talk about their schooling and there is the matter of their nightmares. Did you know that both boys are sleeping in our bed right now? I have not slept since Anthony went missing and I am certainly not getting any sleep right now," Loki rambles in a slightly hysterical tone, not realizing that her breathing was starting to pick up the more she worked herself up.

"Loki, you need to calm down," Pepper instructs in a gentle voice as she reaches over to grab her hand. "We know this probably isn't the best time, but if you and Bucky were trying for awhile to expand your family, then who would have thought that we'd be going through this right now."

"You should talk to him."

"Half our talks have ended in fights recently, I would rather wait a few more days," Loki admits in a more calm tone this time, looking perfectly collected as if she hadn't been on the brink of a breakdown two seconds ago. "Can we talk about the press conference?"

"Alright," Pepper says with a sigh as she sits back in her seat and pulls up a hologram in front of her. "I've called in the media for a nine thirty conference, so I would like for all of you guys to be there at exactly nine so we can prep Peter..."

Loki leaves the meeting ten minutes later and arrives at her floor only to find Anthony mid panic attack and Peter staring at the child wide eyed and frightened like he was seeing Hela's dead soldiers. James was nowhere to be seen and Loki couldn't help the wave of anger that flooded her.

"What is going on here?" Loki asks as she looks back and forth between her children.

"I-I don't know! He just- we were playing and then he just... he just started to hyperventilate," Peter explains sounding close to tears and Loki really couldn't handle this on her own right now.

"And your father?" She asks as she kneels down in front of Anthony who's sitting on the ground rocking himself back and forth with his hands over his ears.

And that's when James decided to walk into the room only to stop in his tracks when he took in the scene in front of him. Anthony crying, Peter looking close to tears and Loki glaring at him.

"Okay, I'm sorry but I really needed to take care of somethin' and I thought they'd be okay for a few minutes," James tried to defend himself, arms raised and everything like he was innocent in leaving their children alone for a few minutes knowing Anthony has spent the last two days glued to either parent's side.

Loki didn't say anything and instead gathered her youngest into her arms and began to hum an old lullaby that her mother used to sing when she was a child. The mage then motions Peter towards her and the teen gladly curls up into her side, shaking just the slightest bit and Loki really couldn't handle this situation any longer.

"Lo-"

"Not now, James," Loki whispered and resumed her humming.

That night, Loki sleeps in her bed with the boys and James takes the guest room. She stays awake until late with a hand on her stomach and thinking about when it would be the right time to tell James.

*

"I don't know if I can do this," Peter mumbles as he takes a peek behind the curtain to see the the media gathered outside for the press conference.

"Darling," Loki says softly with a smile as he pulls Peter back and cups his face. "Everything will be alright. We are all here with you and Pepper and the PR team selected what you can and cannot answer, alright? It will be fine."

"What if something goes wrong?"

"Kid, we have SHIELD agents disguised as civilians on the look out in every possible corner and not to mention that you will be surrounded by every single Avenger on the roster, including Lang, Hope, Strange, Rhodey and Carol," Bucky says with a smile as he walks over to the two though Peter is quick to notice the tension between his parents who don't even look at each other.

And his pops was right, every single Avenger was there in their uniforms and he was more than happy to know that they all had his back. It didn't completely calm him down, though. He was about to go on stage to officially come out as Spider-Man. He was only dealing with one thing right now, but he'd leave all the legal stuff to Pepper and the lawyers and hope for the best.

"Alright, five minutes everyone," Pepper announces as she walks to the backstage area with her StarkPad and her tiny assistant, Tony, following after her. It was good to see the kid with a smile and following someone that wasn't Loki or Bucky or Peter himself.

They all gathered around to hear the final instructions and Peter stood between his parents. His Aunt May was out in the crowd with Happy, Ned and MJ.

"Questions will be limited, we have speeches prepared for Steve, Peter and Bucky and Loki seeing as you two are Peter's parents. Christine Everhart was one of Tony's favorites, so she's front and center with approved questions that she will hopefully stick to," Pepper mumbles the last part to herself as she scrolls through her tablet. "Peter, don't answer questions that are not on your list. They will try to get you off topic so please, don't pull a Tony Stark. End the conference with 'I am Spider-Man' and I will strangle you." Peter giggled and blushed while the rest of the team burst into loud laughter. Tony giggled too even though he didn't get the joke, he just wanted to fit in. "Anyone have any questions?" No one raised their hands so Pepper nodded. "Okay, well let's start heading out then."

They all filed out with Steve at the very front followed by Natasha and Sam and then leaving Bucky, Loki and Peter in the very center of all the seats and at the very end sat the newer Avengers; Scott, Hope, Strange and Carol. Pepper headed towards the podium and fixed the microphone before giving her audience a smile that made Peter envy her calm and collected persona.

"Morning everyone," she greeted the reporters who immediately moved to the edge of their seats. "We are all gathered here today to talk about events that transpired a few days ago where the identity of one of our heroes was revealed without consent from said member during a rescue. Three of our Avengers will give speeches and our member affected will also talk to you today to give his statement and reasoning behind wanting to stay hidden. I ask that you hold your questions to the end."

Pepper moved aside and then Steve took the stage to give his speech though Peter drowned him out, his left leg bouncing up and down anxiously and his hands curling and uncurling into fists on his lap until Loki grabbed one of his hands and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze. Soon Bucky and Loki were up to give their versions and talk about what a great person Peter is, both as Peter and Spider-Man. Soon it was Peter's turn and he stood in front of the podium trying his best to ignore the flash of the cameras going off like crazy, his mask only hiding how nervous he really was.

"Hi, uh, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man here," Peter began nervously, trying not to grip the podium too tight so it wouldn't break under his hold. The whole room was quiet and he could practically hear everyone holding in their breath ready for what he had to say. "I kinda feel like Mia Thermopolis up here." He laughed nervously and took comfort in the chuckles from the audience and the resigned groan from his family. He could practically see MJ rolling her eyes from across the room. "Except you know, I'm not here to call myself the future queen of Genovia. Instead I'm here to talk about what happened a few days ago.

"My real name is Peter Parker." He removes his mask and the camera flashes increase. "I am fifteen years old and I'm sorry if I disappointed everyone out there by not being who you thought I was. I'm just a kid, that's the reality and I never intended to keep my identity a secret forever, but I also didn't want the whole world to know who I was just yet. All I've ever wanted to do was to help people, like the heroes I saw on TV and if my recklessness ever hurt anyone or my inexperience showed, I apologize. I threw myself out there without any proper training and though my services are currently limited to helping Susie get her cat off the tree every weekend, I get cocky and stick my nose in the bigger battles that the Avengers usually take on.

"But I certainly don't regret my actions earlier this week. My little brother was kidnapped and I wasn't about to just sit around and wait at home and hope for the best. If it meant keeping my little brother safe, I would reveal my identity a thousand times over seeing him get hurt," Peter continues on completely off script and just saying what he felt in his heart and he knew it would give Pepper and the PR team a hard time, but this is what he really felt and he wanted the world to understand him and his reasonings.

When Pepper gives the go ahead for the q&a to start, Peter takes a seat between his parents who both smile and whisper how proud they are of him. They head backstage after some questions, both relating to Tony's kidnapping and to Peter's identity being revealed. Even the newest Avengers get asked questions despite that not being on schedule since they were planning a whole different press conference to announce the expansion of the team.

"You did good, darling," Loki says as he pulls the teen into his arms and Peter relaxes in his hold.

"Thanks mom," he mumbles as he closes his eyes momentarily.

Tony ran over to them and crashed against his legs with a muffled giggle and Peter broke away from his hug with Loki to pick up the five year old.

"I saw you on the TV, Pete! You're famous!" Tony exclaims excitedly and yeah, Peter really was famous now. "Am I famous now too, like you and mama and papa?"

"You are, spider baby," Peter says with a smile as he kisses Tony's flushed cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started reading Loki: Where Mischief Lies and I just really want to strangle Thor and Odin like please stop hurting my bb ;-;


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...we are not going to name the baby Gerald, Anthony," Loki finishes off with a pointed look at Tony who pouts again though it only lasts a few seconds before he's grinning excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, any mistakes will be taken care of once the story is completed

Halloween is about a week away now and with everything that's happened, the usual decorations Clint put up around the communal floor were noticeably missing this year. There were no fake spider webs or skulls or ghosts hanging from the ceiling. It was all bare. It was such a contrast to last year, with the excitement of making it the best Halloween for Tony thinking it'd be the only one they got with the kid. Now even Tony didn't want to go out for candy and while all Loki wanted to do was wrap her boys up in blankets and never let them out of her sight, she knew it was important to their recovery that they go out and start getting their lives back to normal.

"You sure you do not want to buy a costume?" Loki asks the five year old as the two lay in bed on a rainy Wednesday evening with the TV in the master bedroom playing some random cartoons. She was on her side staring at Tony who was watching his cartoons with Mister Snuggles clutched to his chest.

"I don't wanna go, mommy. It's scary," Tony mumbles as he turns on his side and buries his face in Loki's t-shirt. Well really it was her boyfriend's, who she still hadn't told about the baby nor had she gotten those blood tests done with Bruce.

"Why is it scary, darling?" Loki asked as she played with Tony's hair, lips pursed slightly as she braved herself for the answer.

"What if Teddy's daddy and mommy take me again? I would never get to see you or daddy or Petey," Tony explains and Loki knows he's truly upset because these days he calls James daddy when he's upset or scared and it's been often.

While Tony and Peter no longer slept in their bed thanks to the sessions with their therapist, the nightmares were still present sometimes and Tony loathed going anywhere without his parents. Peter's problem was more that he felt guilty, for some reason, that Tony had gotten taken in the first place and thus didn't want to part from the child's side for fear of Tony getting taken again.

"You know they cannot hurt you anymore, baby boy," Loki says softly and slowly knowing that if she said the wrong things it could send Tony into an anxiety attack. "Your Uncles Steve and Thor were both in charge of making sure that they could never hurt you again and your Grandpa Fury knows how to keep them locked away."

Tony is silent for awhile and Loki wonders if it's the end of that conversation as the child fiddles with the hem of her shirt. Eventually Tony looks up at her with big frightened brown eyes that makes her heart clench painfully.

"But then Teddy can't ever see his mommy and daddy again."

And oh, wasn't that a change. While Tony was terrified to think that they could still take him, he was still thinking about his best friend and how he wouldn't see his parents anymore. Loki will always be amazed at how selfless her little boy could be.

"I know, but that is because they did bad things to you and Teddy." She caressed the side of Tony's face. "Teddy is fine right now living somewhere new. You remember Storm, right? She came to visit Teddy at the hospital a few days ago before he went home."

"Mhmm. She was really pretty and her hair was white like snow!" Loki chuckled at that, remembering how amazed Tony had been to see Storm's hair.

"Well Teddy will be living with her and a few others who are also heroes and are known as the X-Men."

"So he'll be safe?"

"I promise that he will be safe and you will be able to visit him soon."

"I guess that's okay," Tony says and yawns before settling back against his mommy and closing his eyes. "Night mommy."

"Night, baby boy."

Tony was fast asleep in an instant and Loki looked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps approaching and smiled at James who walked over to her and leaned down to peck her lips and then kiss their son's head.

"Did you hear all that?" She asks James quietly as he sits on the edge of the bed beside her.

"I did. We got real lucky with this kid, didn't we?"

"We sure did."

It falls quiet between them, things still being slightly tense since Loki walked in on the boys alone and Tony having an anxiety attack. Since then James has also been staying either in the guest room or on Steve's and Sam's floor. In front of the kids they tried to act the same, but Peter wasn't fooled and Tony was starting to suspect that something between his parents had changed.

"Can we talk?" She asks her boyfriend as she sits up carefully, trying not to wake Tony who kept on sleeping peacefully for once.

"Yeah I guess it's time we do," James agreed as he stood up from the bed and helped Loki up as well and leading her towards the living room where they sat on the couch with an unusual amount of distance between them. "I'm sorry for havin' left the kids alone, especially knowin' that Tony goes into hysterics when we're not around."

Loki stared down at her lap unsure of how to tell James that they were having a baby when things were so messy not only between them but with their family.

"It has been a stressful few days and I apologize as well," Loki tells him and looks up in time to see her boyfriend frown in confusion and move slightly closer.

"Why are you sorry, doll?" James chuckles as he brings a hand up to stroke Loki's right cheek.

"Maybe if we would have had better communication with each other we would have avoided all of our recent problems, but I just want to move past that. I miss you, James."

"I miss you too, doll," says James as he wraps his arms around Loki and holds her tight to his chest. "Have you been feelin' better? Pete said you were sick again this morning."

"Actually, I need to talk to you about that," Loki mumbles against his chest, heart hammering anxiously in her chest.

"Are ya still sick? Is something wrong?"

Loki chuckled softly before pulling away to stare into her boyfriend's eyes.

"I am fine, James, promise. We just started a project a few months ago and we are finally seeing the results of it," Loki begins to say and chuckles at his confused look. "The boys are going to be big brothers."

"W-What?" James stuttered our with wide eyes as he looks down at Loki's obviously still flat stomach. "You mean that you're- we're gonna be- holy shit, doll!"

"I know the time probably is not right, but-" Loki was cut off mid sentence by James pressing his lips against hers.

"I know, the timing could have been better, but fuck if I'm not the happiest I've been in awhile. We'll work through this together and maybe the baby will be a good thing, help us move on past what happened and keep us focused on our family and the future," James said once he pulled away from their kiss though he was still cupping her face in his hands and staring intently into her forest green eyes, tears of joy blurring his vision. "Who else knows?"

"Just Tasha and Pepper, they were the ones who threatened me to take a test since I was trying to ignore it," she confesses feeling more than a little ashamed and looks away from James.

"Hey, that's alright. It's been a stressful few days so I don't blame ya for tryin' to pretend that it was just a stomach bug or whatever."

Loki yawned in response, feeling her eyes getting heavier with the sleep she's been fighting off all day. If this pregnancy was anything like her last, then no matter how much she sleeps, she'll still feel tired.

"Let's get you to bed, doll. Tony must be missin' ya by now anyways," James says softly as he helps Loki up from the couch and begins to lead her down the hall towards the master bedroom.

"Will you stay?" Loki asks him quietly.

"Of course I will."

And as they lay in bed on either side of Tony, it finally feels like things are starting to look up again.

*

They decide to tell the boys a few days later after a chat with their therapist to make sure that Tony would be ready to handle the news and the upcoming changes in his family. So on the Saturday just four days before Halloween, the couple decide to sit their two boys down on the couch in the living room of their floor with instructions to FRIDAY to have no one interrupt them unless it was an absolute emergency.

"So what'd you wanna tell us?" Peter asks the two curiously as he stares up at his parents who look a mixture between nervous and excited.

"Awhile ago Tony kept askin' us for somethin' that most of his friends have," Bucky begins to say and watches the way the two boys frown in thought.

"Another doggy?" Tony asked hopefully with a small giggle and Peter looked at them excitedly.

"No. You guys already have Brownie, you're not gettin' another."

"My alpaca?!"

Peter snorted at that while Bucky and Loki looked at their child with tired expressions. Tony was staring up at them with wide eyes and excitement evident in the way he was jumping on the couch.

"Anthony, darling, we have talked about Gerald and it will not happen. You barely take care of Brownie, anyways," Loki reminds the child who huffs and stops bouncing in his seat, arms now crossed across his chest and bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Vision is the one who walks and feeds your dog."

"Well my legs are too short for walks and I can't go out on my own," Tony argues and Peter can't control his laughter anymore, falling back on the couch and clutching at his stomach while Bucky sighs and Loki looks torn between laughing or sighing. "I could get kidnapped."

The other three try not to flinch at the word because if Tony was joking about it, it meant he was doing better to even make it in the first place. It didn't mean that they were fine to do so.

"We're gettin' off topic here. No, it's not pet related but ya kept askin' for this since before Loki and I even got together," Bucky continues to give hints to the boys though Loki is just about ready to tell them because she's running out of patience here.

The two sit there and think for a few seconds before Tony's gasping rather loudly and then shouts, "A baby?!"

"Correct, darling. You boys are going to be big brothers," Loki confirms with a smile and suddenly both boys are jumping out of their seats and wrapping their arms around her.

Bucky laughed as both boys fired question after question at Loki who waited like the saint she was until their two kids ran out of oxygen and waited for their answers. She sat them back down on the couch, Tony sitting on Peter's lap this time and waiting for his answers.

"It is still too early to tell the gender, according to the doctor your father and I saw yesterday the baby should be here by the summer and no, we are not going to name the baby Gerald, Anthony," Loki finishes off with a pointed look at Tony who pouts again though it only lasts a few seconds before he's grinning excitedly.

"Do the rest of the team know?" Peter asks as he wraps his arms around Tony and rests his chin on the child's head.

"Not yet, so please boys, don't say anythin' yet," Bucky pleads them and Tony could keep it a secret for at least a day before the excitement got the best of him and he told everyone. "We want to tell them once Clint, Steve and Sam return from their mission."

"Yeah, like the spider baby will be able to keep his mouth shut for longer than twenty four hours. I give him an hour."

"Hey!" Tony exclaims as he twists around in Peter's arms to look up at his brother with a scowl. "I can too stay quiet!"

"Sure Jan."

"Do grandma and grandpa know about the baby? And Sleipnir?" Tony asks his parents curiously.

"No, but we will be heading up to Asgard as soon as we tell the team and get some things fixed here," Loki replies as she looks at Peter who nods in understanding.

The media coverage about Peter being Spider-Man was still going strong, even days after the press conference. The teen hadn't been able to go back to school and neither had Tony. Neither boy had left the tower since everything with Marcos and Maggie had happened, the therapist instead having to come to do their sessions in a conference room in the communal floor. Reporters surrounded the tower's entrance at all hours of the day, hoping to catch the boys and fire their questions at them. The boys were getting restless being locked away, but knew that it was more for their safety than anything.

The four of them spend the rest of their day together (also mostly so Tony wouldn't let it slip to the rest) and it's no surprise when Tony tells his parents that the baby should sleep in his room.

"Babies cry a lot at night, darling, I really do not think you would want to be woken up every three hours or so," Loki tells Tony as they're eating dinner.

"But then where will baby sleep? I want baby to sleep with me because we're the babies of the family," Tony insists as he puts a mouthful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"Didn't know you still wore diapers, spider baby," Peter teased his brother who threw a pea at him in retaliation.

"Boys, pleas don't start another food fight," Bucky pleads tiredly, not even bothering to look up from his meal. "And the baby will be sleeping in our room for awhile and then they will have their own room right next to yours, Tony."

"I guess that's okay." Tony shrugged as he ate some peas this time instead of throwing them at Peter. "Since baby can't sleep in my room, can Sleipnir sleep in mine when he comes to visit?"

"Of course darling," Loki says because knowing Sleipnir, he would want to sleep with Tony anyways. "I am sure that Sleipnir would love to share a room with you."

"Then we gots to make it all pretty for him."

"And we will, but that will be when he comes to visit."

"And when's that?"

"Soon."

"You always say that." Tony pouts and Peter giggles but he would also like to know when they'll get a visit from his brother.

The questions about the baby continue up until Tony's tucked in bed and half asleep, but then he asks one question in particular that has Loki tearing up and sitting down on the bed with Tony.

"Will baby like me?" Tony asks quietly as he looks down at his lap and plays with his bear nervously.

"Darling, of course the baby will like you. I am sure that the baby will love you as much as your father, Peter and I love you and that is a lot," Loki replies gently as she lifts Tony's head up so she can look into his eyes to reassure him. "You are going to be the best big brother, Anthony, I know you are."

Tony exhales and smiles brightly at his mommy before laying down in bed and letting Loki tuck him in.

"Goodnight, honey, have sweet dreams," Loki whispers as she kisses his head and then leaves his room and heads towards the master bedroom.

"Is he done asking questions?" Bucky asks from the bed where he's reading a book and already under the covers, only looking up when Loki starts undressing which makes the mage roll her eyes.

"Yes, though a particular one brought me to tears," Loki confesses as she pulls on the old t-shirt she slept in which was Bucky's.

"What'd he ask?" Bucky asked in curiosity as he sets his book on the nightstand and waits for Loki to finish her nighttime routine.

"He asked if the baby would like him," Loki replies once she finally gets under the covers.

"Can Tony go a day without breakin' my heart?" Bucky whines as he turns on his side and buries his face in Loki's neck, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Unlikely." Loki snorts as she rests a hand over Bucky's. "Glad they both took the news well."

"Me too. I was a little worried," Bucky admitted as he lifted his head to look at Loki who wore none of her usual dark make up. "Now all we gotta do is tell the others and your parents."

*

They tell the team the day before Halloween, all of them finally together again after missions and such. And surprisingly, Tony hasn't let it slip to anyone which really surprised Loki and Bucky that Tony had been able to hold it in. Especially with how excited he was to be a big brother and asked Loki questions about baby. He'd only told his therapist and she'd asked him how he felt and Tony had replied with a large smile that he was super excited to be a big brother.

"So is there a reason why you decided to cook up a whole buffet for us?" Steve asks the couple curiously as they all sit down with their plates stacked high with different kinds of food. Clint had even gotten a second plate just to add more.

"Can't we just ya know, celebrate that we're all together happy and healthy after everythin' that happened?" Bucky asked and tried playing it all off like it was just any other occasion though Loki rolled her eyes beside him and Natasha smirked knowingly.

"You are not fooling anyone, James," Loki tells her boyfriend as she picks up her fork and shook her head. "Also, if you do not hurry up, Anthony will beat you to it."

"Beat you to what?" Sam asked them with a frown. "You didn't like, poison this or something?"

"Your plate? Maybe," Bucky joked, rubbing his arm when Loki hits him. "No but uh, we do want to tell you guys somethin'. Well, Nat already knows, but Loki and I would like to inform you guys that the family will be growin' by one more in eight months."

The table went silent for a second before it became loud with exclamations of surprise and congratulations from everyone on the team, Thor being the loudest of them all. Even Vision had a smile on his face, which that in itself, was a rare occurrence as he was still working on emotions.

"When did you guys find out?" Wanda asked them happily, gaze flickering between the couple.

"I found out first and then I told James a few days later, so about a week or so," Loki replies with a smile, looking over at Tony when he mumbled a quiet 'oops' and she saw that he had "spilled" a few vegetables on the ground which Brownie was now eating.

"You're not fooling anyone, spider baby," Peter says from Tony's other side in between snickers.

"Hopefully this one will come out a bit more normal," Bucky jokes and the others laugh and Tony only looks up confused as to why they are laughing.

"Are you excited to be a big brother, Tones?" Bruce asks the five year old who nods excitedly and then proceeds to tell the team all about the fun things he's going to teach baby.

"And baby's gonna love me more than Petey," Tony declares, sending his brother a smirk that had the teen narrowing his eyes at.

"We'll see, spider baby. We'll see," Peter replies and Tony giggles.

After dinner, Steve, Wanda and Bruce offer to do the dishes while Natasha and Sam clean the table and put the leftovers away. Thor meanwhile, took the chance to pull his sister and brother in law to the side to talk to them.

"I know I have wronged you so many times, Loki," Thor begins to say as he stares at his sister who looks a bit uncomfortable at her brother's display of emotions towards her and Bucky found it all amusing. "But I am truly joyous of this wonderful news and I wish you both the best in this new journey of your lives."

"Thanks, big guy," Bucky tells the blonde god with a smile.

"Thank you, brother," Loki said half sincerely. Bucky knew it was because Thor had never been this supportive of Loki during her past pregnancies and it was only until recently after nearly having lost Loki and finding out everything that had happened to her while in the hands of Thanos that he had become truly protective of his younger sibling.

"Now, James, why don't I remind you of something that I told you awhile ago," Thor directs at Bucky who sends his girlfriend a pleading look but the mage simply smiles and waves the two off as she goes off to search for Peter and Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone get that poor boy his alpaca
> 
> just a heads up, the next updated will be over 7k words and i have no idea how it got to be so long but if i'm right, the ones after that will be long as well. next update will be up either friday or monday :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You need to stop growin', kid," Bucky says as he holds Tony tight to his chest, the child giggling and complaining about lack of oxygen. "It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms for the first time and now you're six months away from turning six."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly 8k words, brace yourselves, lmao

"Alright darling, have fun and do not go too far from your father and brother," Loki warns the five year old who's dressed in a Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon onesie type thing because at the last minute, Tony had decided that he did want to go trick or treating so now he would be heading off with his papa, big brother and Uncle Steve. His mommy wouldn't be going because she wasn't feeling too good.

"Okay mommy! I'll bring back lots of candy for baby!" Tony says as he wraps his arms around Loki who laughs.

"I am sure baby will appreciate it."

Tony giggles and presses a quick kiss goodbye to Loki's stomach before rushing towards the elevator where his Uncle Steve and Peter were waiting. Bucky chuckled and headed over to his girlfriend who was wearing one of his hoodies.

"I'll be back later, you get some rest," Bucky tells her as he cups her face in his hands and leans forward to peck her lips. "If you need anythin' Nat will be downstairs."

"Yes, do not worry. Now go before Anthony thinks all the candy will be gone by the time you arrive," says Loki with a slight roll of her eyes and Bucky laughs as he pecks her lips again before meeting the others by the elevators.

"Bye mom!" Peter shouts.

"Goodbye, darling!"

"Bye bye mommy! I'll miss you more!" Tony shouts and Peter huffs.

"Not true! I'll miss you more!"

"Alright boys, that's enough," Steve scolds just before the elevator doors close.

They go trick or treating in the neighborhood around the school, Tony and Peter walking in front of Bucky and Steve who keep a sharp eye out in case of anything. Bucky had called the twins's mom to meet up with them since Tony hadn't seen his friends since the day he was taken. It would be a nice surprise and hopefully a way to get the kid to want to get back into his normal life. Bucky knew it wasn't going to be easy. What with Loki being pregnant, Tony was practically attached to the mage now and he'd nearly thrown a tantrum when Loki had told him that she couldn't go trick or treating with them.

"Tony!" The twins cried out happily when they spotted their best friend.

"Hi!" Tony greets back as he runs over to hug them.

"No Loki?" The twins's mom asks Bucky who shakes his head.

"Uh no, she's at home not feeling too well. We just found out we're expecting and it hasn't been easy for her," Bucky explains and Mrs Paulson gasps excitedly, a large smile forming on her face.

"Oh my! Congratulations! How far along is she?"

"Nearing two months in a few days. I don't know who's more excited for the baby, us or Tony."

Mrs Paulson laughed and continued to watch the three kids keep hugging and giggling with each other. Peter goes with the three kids to every house while the three adults talk and catch up, Mrs Paulson asking how Tony was doing after the whole getting kidnapped.

When they get back to the tower two hours later, they meet up in the communal living room where the rest of the team and Loki are watching a singing competition and Clint's throwing popcorn at the TV. So really, just an usual evening at the tower.

"Candy!" Clint shouts excitedly as he rushes over to Tony and Peter and takes their bags of candy.

"D-Daddy!" Tony cried as he turned to his father with tears in his eyes and a trembling bottom lip.

"Hey, no need for tears, Bambi, I'll get your candy back. Go wait with your mom," Bucky tells the child who sniffles and rushes over to Loki who picks him up and places the five year old on her lap.

"Did you have fun, darling?" Loki asks as she runs her fingers through Tony's hair, hoping to distract him while Bucky took back Tony's Halloween bag.

"Yeah, but I missed you and baby," Tony mumbles into the hoodie she's wearing, still sniffling a little and bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes.

"And we missed you too." Loki smiles down at her baby who was growing quickly day by day and she was so proud of the person he was shaping out to be. "Are you tired?"

"No," Tony lied, though his eyes were already closing and getting heavier.

Loki supposed it was a good thing his costume also doubled as a pajama so they wouldn't have to struggle with changing the five year old, so she didn't say anything once Tony's breathing evened out and he was already deep asleep before Bucky walked over with his rescued Halloween candy.

"He's asleep before nine? The world must be endin'," Bucky teased as he set the bag down by Loki's feet before pecking her lips in greeting and then the child's head.

"It probably will," Steve said as he walks into the room with his phone in hand and a frown on his face. "Fury just called. He's calling the whole team out to Florida to deal with some, dare I say it, Alligator Men."

The room goes silent for a good five seconds, everyone staring at Steve before Peter's the first to react and starts to laugh and it sets off the rest of the room.

"I mean if he needs the whole team, they must be pretty good villains," Nat points out though there's a joking tone to her voice that has them all giggling again.

"Not really. They keep heading into the sewers and escaping the police and apparently we're the town's best chance at putting a stop to them," Steve explains with a sigh.

"Damn, I wanted to eat my candy," Clint pouts as he stares longingly at the candy he stole from both Tony and Peter.

Bucky looked conflicted about the situation. While he knew that Loki could take care of herself and the boys and that Peter was also around, it didn't mean that he wanted to leave his family behind. One look at Loki though and the reassuring smile she sent him and he nodded, saying goodbye to his girlfriend and two kids before the whole team headed out.

*

The team returns half way through the next day, smelling awful and exhausted. Loki sticks around for a few minutes to greet them before she's rushing off to the bathroom to throw up her breakfast. Clint teases Bucky by saying he'll probably end up sleeping on the couch. Bucky doesn't find it funny because he knows it's likely to happen. This was one thing of the pregnancy that he wasn't liking, how sensitive Loki was to everything.

Two days later, Tony looses his first tooth much to his horror.

"Mommy!" Tony cried out, half excited half scared. They'd learned about the tooth fairy at school a few weeks back during story time, so he knew that when a tooth fell, he had to place it under his pillow so she could leave money under it. But loosing an actual tooth was just kinda scary once it actually happened. "Mommy!"

"Darling, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Loki asked as she rushed into the living room where Tony had been working on his catch up work for school and eating an apple.

"My tooth fell!" He cried out, palm of his hand extended out towards Loki with his tiny little baby tooth in the center.

"Oh dear, you know what that means?" Tony shook his head, sniffling and trying to blink back tears. "It means that not only is the tooth fairy paying you a visit tonight, but also that you are officially a big boy now, honey." Loki kneels in front of him and closes Tony's hand to form a fist around his tooth. "Now, why don't we go put this somewhere safe for tonight and rinse off your mouth."

Tony nods and lets his mommy lead him down the hall towards his bedroom. Tony's excited after that and shows the team during dinner his missing front tooth and they all coo and congratulate him on it.

"You need to stop growin', kid," Bucky says as he holds Tony tight to his chest, the child giggling and complaining about lack of oxygen. "It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms for the first time and now you're six months away from turning six."

"And I am the emotional one," Loki mumbles with a roll of her eyes and Steve and Natasha laugh as the three keep watching the scene in front of them.

*

"Grandma!" Tony shouts as he rushes off towards Frigga who was smiling wide as her two sons, grandchildren and Bucky and Jane arrive for a family visit.

"Oh my sweet boy! Look at you! You keep getting bigger and bigger each time I see you," Frigga says as she hugs Tony tight and kisses the top of his head a few times before letting go and turning to Peter. "And you keep getting more handsome and taller, Peter."

"Hi grandma," he greeted with a blush, hugging her back before pulling away.

"Where is Sleipnir?" Loki asked his mother as she greeted Jane first and then Bucky.

"Still in a lecture with one of his tutors. He has an important exam coming up that we told him if he studied hard and passed it, we would let him spend some time with you on Midgard."

Loki nodded and smiled while Tony cheered about the prospect of having his brother visit them at his home. He was already thinking of all the fun things they could do on their way to drop their things off in their rooms, the same ones they'd stayed in the last time they'd visited.

"How do you feel?" Bucky asked his boyfriend once they were in Loki's old chambers, resting a bit before they met up with Odin in a few.

"I am fine, James, I promise," Loki reassures him with a smile as he walks over to the metal armed soldier and wraps his arms around his neck. "I am a bit nervous, however, about informing Odin and Frigga about the baby."

"Hey," Bucky says softly as he places his hands on the mage's hips. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Your father seemed like he was really trying to change and fix things, and if shit hits the fan, you're not alone this time."

"I know." Loki closes the distance between their lips and kisses him softly, eyes slipping shut and moaning faintly at the feel of Bucky's smooth lips on his.

Too bad that Loki couldn't take things further between them because just then the large heavy double doors opened with a little too much force and a familiar head of black hair ran towards them as fast as his little legs could take him.

"Mom! James!" Sleipnir cried out happily before crashing into them and wrapping his arms around the two.

"Hi darling," Loki greeted him, still not fully able to grasp the fact that she could hug and see him whenever.

"Hey there, buddy!" Bucky greets the seven year old, swinging him up into his arms and pressing a loud kiss to his cheek that had the child laughing in utter glee. "Missed ya a bunches."

"Missed you a lot too. Are Peter and Tony here?! I wanna see them!"

"They are. Same chambers as last time, little one," Loki replies and watches Bucky put Sleipnir down and he raced off to find his brothers. "I wonder if Sleipnir and the others will take the news well."

"I'm sure they will, doll. Don't worry 'bout it," Bucky reassures him as he pulls Loki into his arms and begins to sway them to a beat in his head. "We should go dancin' sometime. You can wear that sexy black dress I love seeing you in. We could make it a double date with Steve and Pepper."

"What?" Loki frowns as he pulls away to look at his boyfriend properly, looking genuinely confused. "I thought he was with Natasha? I am sure I saw them holding hands during our last movie night."

Now it was Bucky's turn to frown before a giant grin took over his face.

"Look at our Captain, getting it on with two ladies," Bucky jokes and Loki muffled his chuckles on the soldier's shoulder.

There was a knock on the doors and Loki left Bucky's embrace reluctantly to go open the doors. Once there, Loki comes face to face with not only Hela, but also Fenrir. The three sort of just freeze and stare at each other before Loki's bursting into tears and pulling both of his babies into his arms.

"Ugh, mom, you're embarrassing us," Hela whined like a typical teenager though her voice sounded suspiciously wet as she hugged Loki back.

"It's mom, what did you expect," Fenrir answered his older sister with a slight scoff as he shifted in an attempt to escape Loki's hold, Fenrir not being one for physical contact, but gives up when Loki only tightens his hold on the two.

"Please excuse your mother," Bucky begins as he walks up to the trio with a smile, "he's been more emotional than usual."

"How do you put up with him?" Fenrir asked jokingly as he manages to pull away from Loki and walk up to Bucky with an extended hand.

"Usually your other brothers get the brunt end of his tears. James Barnes, nice to meet you, finally."

"Likewise. Sleipnir has talked about you. A lot. He will not shut up about you, Peter or Anthony and frankly I was getting quite curious to meet you," Fenrir explained as the two shook hands, standing just a few inches shorter than Bucky and his amber colored eyes shining with that same mischievous look Loki often got. "Also, understand that our mother isn't alone, so you hurt him and we will find you wherever you decide to hide."

"Understood."

"Fenrir, stop it," Loki hissed at her oldest son who shrugged and stepped back from Bucky's personal space. "James, I see you have meet my oldest son. This is Hela, the oldest of all my children and so far the only girl."

"So far? What does he mean by so far?" Hela asks Bucky with a suspicious look, her green eyes an exact copy of Loki's, in fact, Hela was Loki. Bucky was sure that if Lady Loki made an appearance, the two could be confused for twin sisters.

"It is just a saying, my love."

"I really don't wanna know about your sex life," Fenrir cut in with a disgusted look on his face and Bucky laughed at the blush spreading over Loki's face.

"Alright kids, stop tormenting your mother," Bucky interrupts in between chuckles.

"I like him," Hela concludes as she smiles up at Bucky who winks at her.

"I did not realize you kids would be here. It is quite a lovely surprise," Loki says as the four of them go to sit in the living area at the front of the room, Hela curling up into her mother's side while Fenrir sat on the armchair with his feet on the center table and completely ignoring the look his mother sent him.

"Grandma told us what happened to our brothers and we needed to make sure they were alright and also get some names so we can teach that son of a bitch to not mess with our family," Fenrir explained and both Loki and Bucky glared at him for his choice of words while Hela sighed.

"I apologize for my brother, he has spent a little too much time on Midgard this last century," Hela spoke up with a roll of her eyes, a strand of black hair falling in front of her face and Loki was quick to put it behind her ear. "But yes, grandmother told us what happened to Anthony and we want to make sure he is fine."

"Thank you for worrying kids, but Tony's better now. It was a rough time for your brothers, but we hope that being here for awhile can help," Bucky replies and he watches the way the two teenagers seem to relax though there was still a fire in their eyes that warmed his heart. It was great to know that they were so protective of their brothers even if they haven't met them yet.

"And Jormungand?" Loki asks curiously though he already suspects that his son isn't there because he's stubborn.

"He said he would gladly meet up with all of us but just not in Asgard. I think he mentioned being in Norway for now," Fenrir replies with a shrug, focused on casting small snowflakes with his seidr. "Or was it Broadway?"

"I'm not even gonna ask," Bucky concludes.

Just then the doors opened again and the other three boys step in, Tony in Peter's arms hiding his face and Sleipnir talking the teenager's ear off.

"Hela! Fenrir! Hi!" Sleipnir greeted his older siblings as he rushed over to his sister first who ruffled his hair and placed a kiss to his cheek before watching the child rush off towards Fenrir who grunted but cuddled him anyways. Fenrir always had a soft spot for him.

Loki stood up and took Tony from Peter, noticing the dried tear stains on his cheeks and frowning immediately.

"Peter, what happened?" Loki asked the spiderling as he fussed over Tony who whined and tried tucking his face in his mama's neck to avoid looking at the new people in the room.

"He wandered off in the garden and when he didn't see Sleipnir or I anywhere, it triggered a panic attack," Peter explained worriedly, his eyes open wide as he stared at Loki who nodded in understanding.

"Can you go grab his bear, darling?"

"I'll go get it mom!" Sleipnir shouts as he jumps out of Fenrir's lap and rushes out of the room.

"Darling," Loki directed at Peter. "These are Hela and Fenrir, my other children."

"Oh! Uh hi!" Peter greeted them awkwardly and Hela giggled as she stood up and stood next to Peter, about an inch taller than him.

"Nice to meet you, Peter," Hela greets him as she pulls him into a hug. "You are adorable. Certainly more so than Fenrir."

"Ugh, rude," Fenrir whined as he too got up from his spot to greet Peter while Loki and Bucky fussed over their youngest just as Sleipnir ran back into the room with Mister Snuggles.

"Here you go, Tony," the seven year old says as he presents the bear to his younger brother.

"Thank you," Tony whispers as he takes Mister Snuggles and holds him tight.

It takes nearly ten minutes for Tony to be entirely calmed down. He looked pretty tired now, but wanted to be set down so Loki placed him on the ground and watched curiously as he approached the others kids who were all sitting together and laughing like they'd all known each other from the very beginning.

"Are you feeling better now, little one?" Hela asks as she crouches down in front of Tony, a warm smile on her pale face.

"Mhmm. It gets scary when I can't breath," Tony tells her, willingly going into her embrace and cuddling into his older sister whose smile only gets bigger as she holds Tony to herself.

"Look at that, Lo. We're only missin' one kid," Bucky says softly as he wraps an arm around the mage's waist.

"Only one," Loki echoes with a soft smile as he watches all the kids do their best to comfort their baby brother.

*

"Grandpa!" Tony shouted as he ran up to the All Father, Mister Snuggles still in his grasp even though he most certainly felt a lot better now, especially after having gotten cuddles from all, well almost all, of his siblings.

"Hello, my dear Anthony," Odin greeted him warmly and Fenrir resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Is this really the same guy who tore us apart centuries ago?" Hela asked her siblings quietly, a slight bitter tone to her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Loki or Bucky.

"Either way, we are here to protect Anthony and Peter in case grandpa pirate tries anything funny," Fenrir replied just as quietly, ignoring the glare Loki sent their way as they got close to where Odin and Frigga were already seated at the long golden dining table.

Thor and Jane walked into the room as well and Sleipnir rushed over to his uncle who picked him up and tossed him high in the air a few times which had Loki, Jane and Frigga looking seconds away from having a heart attack.

"Everyone come sit, dinner will be served shortly," Frigga tells them all with a kind smile and the table fills up quickly with just one seat open and Loki tries not to think about how Jormungand should be sitting there with them.

"Loki, dear, you said you and James wanted to announce something during dinner?" Frigga asks her youngest once dinner is served.

"James and I would like to inform all of you that we are expecting," Loki speaks up, throwing subtle glances at Odin to take in his reaction.

Tony's cute little giggles breaks the silence that follows Loki's announcement before Hela's jumping out of her seat to hug her mother, Fenrir congratulates Bucky and Loki with words and grumbles fondly about more siblings and Sleipnir is climbing on Bucky's lap to give him a hug. Frigga congratulates the two with tears in her eyes and talks to Hela about how she hopes it's a girl and the teenage girl nods in agreement.

"My son," Odin begins, "I may not have been the best father to you and grandfather to your children, but I am delighted with the news and James, I hope you keep your promise, boy."

"No worries, sir. Your son is in safe hands," Bucky replies as he smiles at Loki who smiles back.

The rest of dinner goes by with most conversations being about the baby. Tony reaffirms that he is excited to finally be a big brother. By the time they finish eating dessert, Tony's fast asleep on Thor's lap and no one can blame the little boy after the long day he's had.

"And is Anthony doing better now?" Frigga asks worriedly as she takes a look at her, for now, youngest grandkid.

"He has his bad moments," Bucky replies sadly as he too stares at Tony. "He's been doing better, can sleep through the night often, but nightmares will still get to him sometimes."

"You said they caught the people, right?" Fenrir asks them, amber colored eyes shining with the rage that courses through his body at the thought of his baby brother having been hurt.

"Aye, my nephew," Thor replies solemnly as he tightens his hold on Tony a tiny bit. "I personally saw to their capture and punishment."

"Good. Hope they rot in Hel."

"Fen," Loki warns his son who huffs and eats Tony's half eaten chocolate cake.

"And you Peter?" Odin asks the quiet teen. "Have you been alright?"

Peter shrugs, lifting his gaze from the table before looking up at the All Father. "I've been okay, just worry about Tony a lot. Sometimes I kinda don't wanna let him out of my sight. My therapist says that's normal though."

"Yes, your instincts to protect your younger brother are at an all time high right now and that is perfectly understandable," Frigga says softly as she smiles at him.

"And school? Are they heading back soon?" Jane asks curiously.

"Yeah. They've both already missed too much and the school year's only started so they can't afford to keep missing more," Bucky says as he shifts Sleipnir on his lap, the seven year old being on the brink of falling asleep, especially as his mom's boyfriend runs his fingers through his dark hair soothingly. "Hopefully things will go better this time."

*

It's a day before they have to leave when Hela rushes out to the stables where Loki's with Tony and Peter while James was off with Fenrir, Thor and Jane exploring the city.

"Mother, Jormungand is here," Hela informs Loki who helps Tony get off a horse and watches him run up to his sister who picks him up easily and kisses his cheek in greeting. "And he is talking to Odin."

"Watch after your siblings," he instructs Hela before rushing off to find his son and the All Father.

When he walks into the throne room, he finds Jormungand standing in front of Odin, the two deep in a serious conversation.

"Jormungand," Loki greets his son who turns and grins at him like he hasn't had a change in attitude. "Father."

"Loki, my son, I was just apologizing to Jormungand and telling him that it is great to have him around finally," Odin explains to Loki who turns his gaze to Jormungand who nods reassuringly and it has the mage relaxing a bit.

"Yes, I was telling grandfather that I would love to spend some time here, be around Sleipnir more and be able to visit you and my other siblings," Jormungand adds as he walks over to Loki and wraps his arms around the mage. "It is good to see you again, mother."

"I missed you," Loki whispers as he hugs Jormungand tightly. "Hela's with Peter and Anthony in the stables if you want to go see them."

Jormungand grins and rushes out of the throne room without another word. Loki waits until he's completely gone before turning to face his father.

"What made him change his mind? He had been so opposed to coming here." And Loki doesn't mean to sound suspicious, but he is. Jormungand is stubborn and no amount of apologies from Odin would have been able to change his mind so quick.

"He was not aware of what had happened to Anthony until Hela managed to get into contact with him and he said that he did not want to spend the rest of his life holding a grudge when he could be spending more time with his family."

"I- thank you, father."

Odin gets off his throne and approaches Loki with slow steps.

"I want to keep mending my errors. I was foolish and I do not want to keep making the same mistakes," Odin begins to say once he's in front of Loki. "I am truly happy that you have found the happiness you always deserved. If I could go back in time, I would change everything that I did wrong."

"I wouldn't," Loki says quickly, surprising not only his father but also him. "Not if it meant losing my family and where I am today."

When Loki goes back to search for his children, he finds all six of them running around in the gardens with Thor and James chasing them.

"You ready to add one more into the mix?" Jane asks Loki with a playful smile on her face as the two sit on a bench to watch their men chase the kids.

"It will be like having eight," Loki jokes and Jane laughs.

"I'm really happy for you, Lo. You finally have your kids and you've got a great family."

"Thank you, Jane. For the first time in a very long time, I feel complete and happy."

Loki watched as Anthony tripped on his own two feet and then Sleipnir threw himself on top of him followed by Fenrir while Hela and Peter laughed and Jormungand tried helping the youngest out of the pile.

Leaving is much harder this time around and Loki cries a little as she clings to all of her children and even Fenrir, who isn't so fond of physical contact, hugs them all back tightly. He even clings to James, saying something that only James hears and has the man nodding and reassuring him.

"I will see you soon, little one, do not worry," Hela says as she hugs Tony tightly and kisses his head a few times. "Besides, with the baby coming I will definitely be visiting often."

"Promise?" Tony asks her as he lifts his head to look up at his sister who smiles warmly and nods.

"I promise. Now, be good and keep Peter out of trouble," she teases and Peter pouts which has Fenrir ruffling his hair, the two being just a year apart in Midgardian years, and Tony giggles.

"I will!"

*

The boys went back to school two days after returning from Asgard and Loki was a nervous wreck the whole day until she was able to hold both of them in her arms again. For Peter, things were still difficult. Everyone at his school still talked about Spider-Man and asked Peter a lot of questions throughout the day but thankfully he had MJ who always stuck up for him.

Tony's day was more normal, the kids still being too young to really comprehend much. Just Lizzy and the twins commented on how cool it was that Spider-Man was his older brother. At school he drew a picture of him with all five of his siblings plus a tiny baby stick figure that he labeled 'baby'. It made Loki tear up and then put it in a frame that she placed above the fireplace on the mantle.

The days leading up to Thanksgiving brought little criminal activity. May had moved back to her apartment, but Peter still lived with them and often times they found him sleeping in Tony's room. The boys kept up their appointments with their therapist, but Peter had yet to go out as Spider-Man again and no one was pressuring him to.

It's the Wednesday evening a few hours before Thanksgiving when Thor arrives at the tower with a special visitor.

"Evening my friends!" He shouts and Tony turns around from where he's sitting on the ground doing homework and gasps excitedly.

"Sleipnir! Hi!" He shouts and rushes off towards his brother who's smiling shyly as everyone's gaze falls on him. "Look Petey! It's Sleipnir!"

"I can see that, spider baby," Peter says with a smile as he walks over to his two younger siblings and then pulls them both into a hug.

"Sleipnir, darling, what a lovely surprise," Loki says as she rushes forward, the other two boys letting go of their brother who ran up to their mom and hugged her tight. "Spending some time with us?"

"Just for a bit. Grandma gave me permission to miss a few lessons as long as Uncle Thor brought me back in time for my next exam," Sleipnir explained with a giggle as he pulls away from his mom to smile up at her.

"Hi, buddy," Bucky greets his step-son as he walks out of the elevator with Steve and Sam.

"Hi James!" Sleipnir greeted as he ran up to Bucky who caught him easily and swung him around. "Uncle Thor brought me to visit."

"Well let's go introduce you to everyone else, yeah? And we'll have lots of fun together," Bucky says as he carries Sleipnir to the living room where the rest of the team was waiting.

"Thank you for the surprise," Loki tells her brother sincerely and he waves her off.

"You don't have to thank me, Loki. I only do it because I want to keep seeing my family happy," Thor replies softly before heading towards the others where Clint has just said something dumb that had Tony groaning and looking done with the archer while Sleipnir basked in the attention of the rest of the Avengers.

The next day all the Avengers, the ones who knew how anyways, cooked a dish for their Thanksgiving dinner. Jane and Darcy arrived with a pie, store bought because they'd just gotten in from London and who has the time to bake when you're jet lagged? Carol and Rhodey also arrived with a casserole and Goose trailing behind them with her head held high and tail flicking back and forth elegantly. Pepper didn't make anything, but that's okay because Steve and Natasha baked more than enough; Steve an old recipe of his mother's and Natasha something Russian. May and Happy arrived with drinks because well May wasn't the best cook. Even Scott and Hope arrived with a Mexican dish.

They all ate in the formal dinning room of the communal floor with three other tables pushed up against the one that was already there. Everything was nicely decorated thanks to Wanda and Vision. Sleipnir was fascinated by everyone getting together like this and the amount of food on the tables and Loki couldn't wait to be able to spend Christmas with all of her children.

"Feels surreal, huh?" Bucky, who was sitting next to her, asked in her ear as he leaned close with an arm around her shoulders. "Just need the other three kids and it'll be a full house."

"It does. And it is hard to believe that we will have this little one present," Loki says with a hand on her stomach, "by this time next year."

"Can't wait," Bucky replies softly as he presses a kiss to Loki's cheek.

"Eww, mom and dad are kissing at the table again!" Peter whined and sent the whole table into laughter and teasing.

"Eww, that's gross," Tony agreed as he stuck his tongue out and Sleipnir mimicked his brother and Bucky stuck his tongue out at the three kids who were sitting across from him and Loki.

"You are all children," she said with a tired sigh though a fond smile was tugging at her lips.

*

"Oh man I'm stuffed like that turkey we just ate," Clint moaned out as he rubbed at his belly.

"You mean that you ate? You practically ate the whole turkey yourself, Clint," Natasha argued with her partner from her seat between Steve and Pepper.

"Not my fault almost none of you like turkey."

"Aye, 'twas a very delicious turkey," Thor agreed and fist bumped Clint with a giant grin while Jane rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Fine, that you two ate," Natasha corrected herself.

After cleaning up the dinning table, they moved their gathering to the living room where the sectional, two arm chairs and ottomans quickly filled out and a few having to sit on the ground. Tony dragged Sleipnir towards his playroom with Peter, Brownie and Goose following after the children.

"You know what I'm thankful for?" Clint spoke up from where he was laying near the fireplace. "That no villains made our good food go to waste."

"Amen to that," half the team chorused, raising their glasses of whatever alcoholic beverages they were drinking, in a toast and drank.

Loki enjoyed a good Asgardian mead or wine from time to time, but now that she was pregnant, she was a little jealous that she couldn't have any.

The night wore on with conversations, board games and movies. The kids eventually making their way back to the main room with tired eyes though Peter still took Sam, Clint and Rhodey on in a round of Uno. Tony ignored them in favor of curling up on his mommy's lap and Sleipnir on Bucky's.

"Let's get them to bed," Loki tells her boyfriend who nods and the two stand up with the boys in their arms already fast asleep. "I will see you all in the morning."

"Goodnight, Lo," they all wave at the mage.

"Oh my little squishy human is sleeping!" A clearly very drunk Darcy Lewis coos at Tony with tears in her eyes and some of the others snicker in amusement. "Why are your squishy little people so cute!"

"Alright Darcy, that's enough," Loki hears Jane scold her best friend as they head towards the awaiting elevator.

"Mommy, is Sleipnir staying with me?" Tony asks in between yawns as he stares up at his mommy with half open eyes.

"Of course he is, darling."

"Yay. I love Sleipnir."

Loki smiled and placed a kiss to the top of Tony's head. Once in Tony's room, they manage to change the boys into pajamas without waking them and then set them in bed, watching with fond smiles as Tony and Sleipnir moved closer until they were cuddling with each other.

"Night boys," Bucky says as he kisses their heads.

Before Loki and Bucky can exit the room, Peter walks in already in his pajamas and smiles tiredly at his parents.

"Night kid," Bucky tells him, reaching a hand out to ruffle his hair.

"Night pops, night mom," Peter mumbles and Loki brings him into a hug and kisses the side of his head.

"Have a good night, darling."

They leave the room once Peter crawls in bed with his brothers and Bucky leads Loki into their room.

"Are you not heading back downstairs?" Loki asks curiously when she sees him unbutton his shirt.

"Nah. Would rather spend some time with my lady tonight," Bucky replies with a grin as he walks over to Loki who raises an eyebrow and wraps her arms around his neck.

"Oh yeah? Does this involve you and I with no clothes on our bed? Because I must say that it has been awhile."

"See? Great minds think alike," Bucky responds with a cheeky smile as he places his hands on Loki's hips and pulls her closer.

*

In the morning the couple leave their bedroom and find the children in the kitchen with Peter making pancakes.

"What a lovely surprise," Loki greets them with a fond smile as he greets the younger two before going over to Peter.

"Thought I could give you guys a break from cooking since you did so much yesterday and I wanted to introduce Sleipnir to pancakes," Peter explains with a grin and Loki smiles fondly at him.

"So thoughtful, darling. Thank you."

"Mama, how's baby?" Tony asks his mother from where he's sitting at the island with Sleipnir, the two coloring in a Paw Patrol book.

"Baby is doing fine this morning, Anthony, thank you for asking," Loki replies as he sits with the two boys while Bucky grabs plates from the cabinets.

"Good."

After breakfast, the four of them take Sleipnir out to explore the city. Sleipnir is delighted at all the places they visit, all tourist attractions and Bucky promises the child that they'll go to the beach in the summer once the baby is born and hopefully the others would be able to join. Peter's wearing a scarf that covers half his face and a dark red beanie on his head to hide his curls. What helped in disguising them, was that they were a family of five enjoying a nice day out in the city and the paparazzi were on the look out for a family of four.

"Had a nice day out?" Steve asks them once they return and the two younger boys crowd him and start telling him all about the fun day they had. "I'm so jealous. I went to work, can you believe that?"

"No worries Uncle Steve! We'll go out next time," Tony reassures his uncle who chuckles fondly and ruffles the two boys's hair.

"I'll hold you to that, boys. Now, you guys wanna help me reheat dinner?"

"Yes please!"

Steve leads the two boys to the kitchen while asking them questions about their day out.

"Uh I was thinking," Peter begins to say nervously as he looks at his parents, "I wanna go out as Spider-Man tonight."

Loki and Bucky look at each other with worry evident in their eyes before turning to look at their teenager.

"Only if you're absolutely sure and if you promise that at least one of the others goes with you," Bucky warns his son who nods even though he doesn't look too happy about it.

"Promise, pops. I'll go ask Clint and Sam." They watch Peter rush off and Loki turns to Bucky while biting his bottom lip.

"You okay?" Bucky asks as he caresses Loki's cheek with the back of his hand.

"Just worried. Not sure I want to let him go out so soon. Something doesn't feel right," Loki confesses and Bucky smiles softly.

"He'll have backup, don't worry."

"He is my son, of course I will always worry."

Bucky chuckled and pecked his lips before the two head towards the kitchen where Steve's making the two boys laugh with his weird jokes.

"I'm more worried that our sons think Steve is funny," Bucky tells Loki who smirks as Steve turns to glare at them.

"For your information, I am plenty funny, Buck," Steve argues and Tony and Sleipnir look at each other and giggle behind their hands. "See, the boys think so too."

"Or they could be laughing out of pity!" Peter shouted from somewhere down the hall and Steve huffs.

"I am sure you are only saying you are funny because Natasha and Pepper do not laugh at your jokes but a five and seven year old think you are the funniest person ever," Loki says with a raised eyebrow and his smirk only widens when Steve blushes and Bucky starts to laugh rather loudly.

"You're hanging around Bucky too much," Steve argues back weakly as he goes back to reheating yesterday's leftovers for today's dinner.

It's after dinner when Peter, Clint, Sam and Scott head out for a quick look around Queens and it's surrounding areas. Loki's bad feeling still hadn't gone away and though he placed a protection spell around Peter, he still didn't feel okay with his teen being out.

"I've got an incoming alert from Agent Barton requesting for medical attention," FRIDAY interrupts their movie about three hours later, Tony and Sleipnir having long gone to bed.

"Medical attention? For who?" Loki asks as he gets up from the couch quickly and ignoring the way the world tilted for a few seconds.

"For Peter," she replies a little hesitantly and Loki and Bucky are quickly rushing towards the elevator with Steve and Natasha ordering FRIDAY to inform their live in doctor of the emergency.

"What are we looking at FRI?" Natasha asks as they're taken down to medical.

"Bullet wound, non fatal but he is losing a lot of blood," FRIDAY replies quickly and Loki leans back against the elevator wall and takes in a deep breath.

"Anybody else hurt?" Steve asked in his Captain voice.

"Just a few bruises on Agent Barton and a cut that requires stitches on Mr Lang's forehead.

When they reach the medical area, Clint and Sam are out in the waiting room with Wanda and Vision already.

"Bruce is inside with Peter and Dr Cho and a nurse is stitching Scott up," Clint explains.

"What happened? You guys should have called for backup," Steve scolded them.

"I know it's cliche to say this, but it all literally happened too fast. One minute we're roaming around Queens and the next there's a robbery going on at a convenience store and really? We had this handled but we didn't account for the bad guys having backup and I'm not even sure how they even managed to shoot Peter."

"The kid was a little tense and rusty, though," Sam admitted as he looked at Bucky and Loki who nod in understanding. Of course, after being benched so long it definitely wasn't easy going back to being Spider-Man.

"We should not have let him go out without some training," Loki told Bucky as they sat on the couch to wait, the mage's head in his hands.

"I know, our mistake. But he started off without any kind of trainin', I honestly thought he'd be fine," Bucky replies quietly as he rubbed Loki's back.

Bruce walked out about three hours later, Scott having long since joined them in waiting with Hope now sitting next to him. Loki and Bucky were up the second they spotted Bruce who was still wearing his white coat and the couple tried not to look at the blood stains but it was such a big contrast that it was difficult not too.

"How's Peter?" Bucky asked his friend who smiled reassuringly at the parents.

"He will be fine. The bullet didn't hit anything important and with his enhanced healing he should be ready to go by tomorrow afternoon, as long as the wound doesn't get infected," Bruce explains to them and Loki feels himself breath out in relief as he grips Bucky's hand tightly. "He did lose a bit of blood, but we gave him a transfusion and he's sleeping right now, but you can go in and see him."

"You guys go in, we'll call May and explain what happened," Natasha tells them and Bucky and Loki nod in thanks.

The couple quickly head in and it takes everything in Loki to not breakdown crying at the sight of his son laying on that bed looking so pale and small hooked up to machines. This was nothing like their Peter who was always so full of energy and cracking jokes all the time and constantly sending them memes and cute cat videos.

"Hey," Bucky says quietly as he walks over to Loki and pulls him into a much needed hug. "He's goin' to be fine and before we send him back out there, I'll make sure that he trains with the team first and that's he's emotionally and mentally ready to get back out there."

"I just feel like I failed him as a parent," Loki mumbles against his boyfriend's shoulder, feeling tears roll down his cheeks.

"In our line of work, these things happen, Lo. Maybe we should have insisted he waited, but he felt ready and how were we supposed to know this was goin' to happen." Bucky hugged Loki tighter before pulling away to be able to look at him and wipe away his tears. "And you're a great parent, don't ever doubt that, yeah?"

While Loki sat at Peter's bedside, Bucky went off to talk to May when she arrived with Happy. Loki reached a hand out to brush back Peter's hair and let out a quiet sigh.

"Rest well, darling," Loki whispers, wondering if there was a stronger protection spell he could use to keep his boys safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I've mentioned before, the next few chapters will probably be as long, if not longer, than this one.
> 
> Also, To Be Young Again just hit 40k hits and I'm so thankful and happy that people are still reading it. Writing that story was such fun and it keeps me excited for all the future stories I have planned for this series. With that being said, I can officially say that Book 4 will not be a sequel of any kind, it'll be a whole new story and I was thinking of some Thor/Tony feat. Baby!Loki ?? What do you guys think ??


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's this guy who's fat and gots a white beard like grandpa's and he brings toys to all the good little boys and girls on Christmas!" Tony explained to his brother excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!!

Sleipnir returns to the tower the first week of December when Tony and Peter are still in school and Bucky is at Shield with nearly half the team. Only Natasha and Clint were at the tower with Loki and Bruce had left earlier that morning to Washington to give a conference or something.

"I get to stay all month, mom! Since I did so well in my exam, Grandma and Grandpa thought it would be a good idea to give me some time to spend here with you, father, Peter and Tony!" Sleipnir explained excitedly as he held Loki's hand as they made their way down to the communal floor after having dropped off the child's things in the bedroom he shared with Tony. Sleipnir was talking so fast that Loki nearly missed the fact that the seven year old called Bucky father and he couldn't help the smile that took over immediately, glad that his son could see Bucky as his dad.

"Well James is currently at work right now and your brothers at school, but I am sure that it will be a very lovely surprise to see you here when they get home," Loki told Sleipnir who nodded and followed Loki off the elevator, bending down to greet Brownie when the white fluffy dog barked in greeting.

"Hey little dude!" Clint greeted from the living room where he was lazing around like usual. "Here to visit Uncle Clint who is your favorite uncle and not big, blonde and buff who goes by the lame name of Thor?"

Sleipnir starts laughing, especially since Thor was walking down the hall towards them and evidently heard everything. Loki looks amused by the whole situation, especially at the frown on his brother's face.

"You're funny, but Uncle Thor is better," Sleipnir responds as he rushes towards Thor who picks up the seven year old and kisses his cheeks repeatedly.

"Aye, little one! I am better than Barton," Thor says and Clint narrows his eyes and huffs as he goes back to watching TV. "Have you settled in well?"

"Yep! Mom said Tony helped decorate the room," Sleipnir explains to his uncle, happy to know that his younger brother loved him enough to rearrange his room for the two of them.

Tony had once slept in a full sized bed, but now there were two twin sized beds on either side of the room with one half decorated with Tony's things and the other with new things for Sleipnir.

"Aye! And I helped James with the furniture."

"And I still think those leftover screws were important, big guy," Clint chimes in and Natasha walks over to them with a cookie that she hands to Sleipnir who thanks her.

"They might've been yours. Your screws were lose and they probably finally fell off," Natasha replies and Sleipnir giggles at the two as he munched on his cookie.

"See this little dude? They're all mean to me. Every single one of them."

"Cry baby," Loki teases his friend who glared at him playfully.

"Especially mean and spooky over here."

They all hang out together until it's time for Loki to go get the kids from school and so he bundles up Sleipnir in warm clothes and takes him with. Sleipnir bounces in the backseat excitedly the whole drive to Tony's school with his gaze out the window and taking in very building.

"Alright, love, stick with me, alright? I do not want you getting lost," Loki warns his overexcited son who nods and lets Loki help him out of his seat and off the car.

Loki holds Sleipnir's hand as they walk inside the building and head towards Tony's classroom. The parents waited out in the hall and the teacher had to make sure the parents were there instead of releasing the kids like before. No one wanted a repeat of what had happened to Tony.

They don't have to wait long for Tony to walk out of the classroom. He walks out holding hands with Alex while Alana and Lizzy walk out behind them deep in a conversation that involved too many hand gestures.

"Mama! Sleipnir!" Tony shouts excitedly as he races over to his mama and brother with a large grin. "You're here!"

"Hi Tony!" Sleipnir greeted as he hugged his baby brother back and Loki looked at the two fondly. "I missed you a lot!" Even though they last saw each other about a week ago.

"I missed you lots too! Mama, is Sleipnir staying for Christmas?" Tony asked their mother curiously.

"Of course he is darling. Now, say goodbye to your friends so we can go pick up Peter," Loki informs the five year old who nods and rushes over to say goodbye to the twins and Lizzy before rushing back and grabbing Sleipnir's hand as they start to head for the exit.

"Is papa home?" Tony asks once they're in the car on their way to Peter's school.

"He's at Shield helping to train the new agents, but he will be home by dinnertime," Loki explains as he pulls up at a red light.

The two boys giggle and talk in the backseat in hushed tones up until they reach Peter's school and Loki lets the two go find Peter on their own, though he does get out of the car and waits a few feet behind them.

Peter's walking out of the school with Ned and MJ, talking about their next decathlon tournament in DC the week before winter break starts. As they get closer to the pick up zone, however, Peter comes to a stop when he spots not just Tony, but also Sleipnir and he breaks out into a light jog until he can pull both of his brothers into a hug and shower their faces with kisses that has both kids laughing and catching the attention of the rest of the students.

"Peter! Stop!" Tony shouted in utter glee.

"I'm just so happy to see you!" Peter tells them as he gives them an extra little squeeze before letting go and hearing Ned and MJ walk up to them.

"You saw me this morning, loser," Tony reminds him with a roll of his eyes and Sleipnir giggles.

"Ugh, I'm so proud of my tiny loser," MJ fake cries as she walks over to give Tony a big hug while Peter pouts. "You're learning from the best, kid. Stick with me and you'll be a pro before your next birthday."

"Okay!"

"Ned, MJ, this is Sleipnir, my other younger brother. He's Loki's kid," Peter introduces his best friends with the seven year old who waves at them and they wave back.

"Yes, another tiny loser I can corrupt," MJ says with a giant grin.

"No! Bad MJ. I need at least one sibling to think I'm cool and not a loser," Peter argues with her as he pulls Sleipnir into his arms and the child giggles. "Anyways, we should get going. It's cold and mom gets mad if we take too long."

"Alright, Pete. We'll see ya Monday!" Ned tells him as he waves at the kids who wave back.

"How was school, darling?" Loki asked Peter as they got in the car.

"Awful. Too much work and I have a ton of homework to do this weekend, like who does that?" Peter complained as he settled in the passenger seat while the two kids sat in the back with Peter's phone, Tony taking selfies on Snapchat with Sleipnir who seemed delighted by all the filters.

"Well you better start working on it when we get home."

"But mom!"

"At least for an hour, Pete, and then you can take a break and spend time with the boys."

"Boo."

In the backseat, Tony and Sleipnir giggled as they sent a bunch of selfies to MJ, Ned, Clint and Sam, the only two Avengers with Snapchat. When they get home, Bucky is back early and waiting for them, so Tony and Sleipnir rush up to the man who grins and gets down on one knee to be able to hug them.

"Papa!" "Father!"

"There are my boys!" Bucky exclaimed happily as he kisses their heads. "Have a nice day?"

"Mhm! We are having a Christmas party at school before break and our teacher wants chap-chapepperonis!" Tony informs and Sleipnir giggles at his brother's mispronunciation as he lays his head on Bucky's shoulder.

"You mean chaperones?" Bucky guesses as he looks up at Loki and Peter who are trying not to laugh.

"Yeah that."

"Oh! I wanna be a chaperone! My last day of school is a day before Tony's," Peter offers excitedly.

"I'll send an email to Tony's teacher then and let her know that you two would love to be chaperones," Bucky says as he looks at Loki and Peter, the former scowling at his boyfriend. "Just try not to stab anyone, doll. Parent or child."

"You so owe me for this, Barnes," Loki informs the long haired soldier who shrugs as he stands up with the kids on either hip and they cling to him.

"I've got some ideas." Bucky looks at Loki with a smirk as he eyes his boyfriend up and down and Peter makes a disgusted face.

"Does someone have bleach?!" Peter shouts as he walks away from his parents and heads into the kitchen where Bruce, Natasha, Steve and Clint are seated eating a snack. "They were undressing each other with their eyes and it was utterly disgusting."

"You poor thing," Natasha mocks the teen who huffs while the others snicker in amusement.

"No sympathy from my own family. Unbelievable."

"Get used to it," Bruce informs him with a sigh. "You'll only be seeing more of that as the weeks go on."

"I've reached my level of grossness at this point. I feel like I am about to explode," Peter mumbles as he grabs an apple and sits with the adults at the table, his younger siblings running in and asking for Goldfish crackers.

"Where'd your parents go?" Steve asks them as he stands up to grab the bag of colored goldfish and pours some into two different bowls.

"Papa said they were gonna do some cleaning in their room," Tony replies innocently and Clint and Natasha turn to look at Peter who resists the urge to smack his head on the table.

"Stay innocent kids, stay innocent," Clint tells Tony and Sleipnir who giggle as they sit on one chair together, completely oblivious to the fact that their older brother was slowly dying beside them.

"Just be glad the walls are soundproof, kid," Steve tells Peter as he ruffles the teen's hair.

"Not so much," Peter mumbles, shuddering a little at the most recent memory. "It's hard to look them in the eye afterwards."

Steve blushes and Natasha and Clint both start laughing at Peter implying that Bucky and Loki were still being heard despite the soundproof rooms. Bruce simply shakes his head, completely done with this conversation.

"Well they must be doing something right," Clint jokes and Peter groans miserably.

*

"Where are we going?" Tony asks as he sits bundled up in the backseat in between Peter and Sleipnir with his mommy and papa in the front driving them somewhere.

"You wanted to see Santa, remember?" Bucky reminds the child who thinks for a few seconds with a slight frown and Peter snickers. Tony could be a little forgetful sometimes.

"Who's Santa?" Sleipnir asks curiously, staring out the window and looking more and more excited each time they drove past Christmas decorations.

"He's this guy who's fat and gots a white beard like grandpa's and he brings toys to all the good little boys and girls on Christmas!" Tony explained to his brother excitedly. "And we're gonna go see him to tell him what we want and get our picture taken and he gives candy."

"Oh, well I like candy," Sleipnir replied with a little shrug as he went back to staring out the window.

"I still do not understand this tradition. It is disturbing and creepy," Loki informs her boyfriend who sighs and rolls his eyes.

"If you think about it, mom's right," Peter adds as he leans forward in his seat to look at both of his parents. "I mean, would you be comfortable sitting in a stranger's lap?"

Bucky grumbled but kept driving towards the mall as Christmas music played through the speakers, Tony singing along quietly in the back. Eventually he pulls up at the mall and finds a parking spot far from the entrance, much to their dismay. Loki and Bucky each held a child's hand as they walked towards the main entrance, all three kids complaining about the cold.

And everything is just like a year ago when they'd brought Tony, before Loki and Bucky had even gotten together and the two boys decided to play that joke on them. There was people everywhere, Christmas music playing from the speakers, decorations on every store window and the area where they set up Santa's Workshop was also pretty crowded. The line was somewhat smaller than last year's, so Bucky hoped they could be out of here quickly so they could go buy what they needed to set up their Christmas tree.

"How long do we gots to wait?" Tony asked impatiently as he handed his jacket and scarf over to his mommy.

"Not sure kid, I guess that depends on how much all the kids in front of you ask for," Bucky replies as he helps Sleipnir take off his jacket and scarf as well. "Do you guys know what you want for Christmas?"

"I want an alpaca," Tony replies which makes his parents and Peter groan while Sleipnir giggles.

"Yeah! I want an alpaca, too!" Sleipnir agreed.

"Perhaps," Loki replies with a wink in the direction of her boys and Bucky gave her a look while Peter gasped at Loki in shock.

"What?! No fair! Then can I get a llama?" Peter asked his parents in a whiny tone.

"Sure and why not get a whole bunch of other exotic pets, like a peacock," Bucky replies sarcastically and rolls his eyes.

"Oh yeah! They're so pretty!" Tony exclaimed as he looked up at his father with wide excited eyes.

"He's being sarcastic, spider baby," Peter informs his baby brother who pouts and crosses his arms across his chest.

The line actually moves quickly and they don't have to wait for much longer before they're first in line and waiting for the little girl sitting next to Santa to get her picture taken. Soon the elf helper motions for Tony and Sleipnir to go up to Santa who smiles at the two boys and sits them on either side of him in his large red chair.

"Seems like someone heard Loki's complainin'," Bucky comments as he, his girlfriend and Peter stand off to the side to watch.

"About time you mortals did something right," she responded and Peter giggled as he watched the two elves on either side of Santa's chair arrange Tony and Sleipnir for the picture.

Soon the two boys ran up to the rest of their family with big smiles and a candy cane in their hands. Another elf handed Bucky the picture and they were on their way to get some shopping done.

"So what'd you think, bud?" Bucky asks Sleipnir who was happily eating his candy cane.

"It was weird, but fun," Sleipnir replies honestly with a small shrug, holding onto Peter's hand with his free one.

They get home a few hours later with a brand new Christmas tree and decorations. They weren't going to be spending Christmas at the tower this year, they'd be heading to the compound, but they still wanted to make sure the tower was well decorated for the holidays.

"How was meeting Santa Claus?" Steve asked as they step onto the communal floor after dropping off their coats and the things they'd bought, the whole team sitting around the couches and watching a holiday themed movie.

"It was weird," Sleipnir said with his nose scrunched up. "He kind of reminded me of grandfather with his white long beard. He just needed an eye patch."

At that, Bucky and Peter both started to laugh hysterically and Loki bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Sleipnir looked back at his father and brother with a confused look, Tony skipping off ahead to see what movie they were watching.

"Fenrir is gonna love this one," Peter says in complete glee as he pulls his phone out to text his brother, heading towards the living room and Loki rolls her eyes.

*

When Bucky wakes up the next morning, he finds Loki in the bathroom kneeling in front of the toilet and he wishes he could do something to make her morning sickness disappear. He supposes even she can't do anything about it. Bucky gets out of bed and heads towards the bathroom to kneel next to her and rub her back.

"Sorry you have to go through this," Bucky tells her, resting his forehead on her shoulder as he keeps rubbing Loki's back in soothing circles.

Loki reached a shaky hand out to flush the toilet and gave a watery chuckle as she went limp in his hold. Bucky wrapped both his arms around her, pulling her flush against his bare chest.

"It is worth it, though," she replies in a hoarse voice. "We will have our little one in just six months."

Bucky smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple. After taking a shower, that maybe takes longer than it should, Bucky and Loki dress for the day and head out to get started on breakfast, surprised that the boys were still asleep despite the late hour.

"In the mood for anything special?" Bucky asks his girlfriend as he opens up the refrigerator.

"Not really, but please, no more pancakes. I feel like we eat those every morning and just the thought of them makes me nauseous," Loki responds with a slight shudder and Bucky chuckles as he starts to prepare some oatmeal instead.

Tiny footsteps walked down the hall in their direction and the two looked over in time to see Tony appear at the doorway, still in his pajamas, his hair a mess and rubbing at his eyes. Loki smiled softly and walked over to pick up the five year old.

"Morning darling, how did you sleep?" Loki asks as she sits at the table with Tony on her lap.

"Good. How's baby, mommy?" Tony asks as he places a small hand on Loki's bump before leaning down to press a kiss to it.

"Baby is doing great, Anthony, thank you for asking."

Tony giggles, but it was cut off to yawn and then cuddled into his mommy and closed his eyes in hopes of getting a few more minutes of sleep.

"No can do, kid," Bucky says as he shakes Tony awake. "Why don't you go get your brothers up. It's getting late and then they'll whine about not being able to sleep tonight and you and Peter have school in the morning."

Tony whines and tries climbing into Loki's lap when his mommy sets him down on the ground. She simply gives him a look and he's rushing off to wake up his brothers, bumping into Brownie on his way.

"Morning family!" Fenrir yells out from where he's stepped off the elevator and Loki and Bucky share a confused and surprised expression.

"Fen, when did you get here?" Loki asks as she stands up from her seat and pulls Fenrir into a hug to which he squirms around in a bit uncomfortably.

"Last night. It was late so I stayed on Thor's floor. Which by the way, that man does not know a thing about decor," Fenrir jokes and Bucky laughs as he ruffles the fourteen year old's hair.

"Want breakfast, kid?" Bucky asks him as he goes back to preparing their meal.

"Sure. Where are the children?"

"Fenrir!" Tony and Sleipnir shout happily as they race towards their older brother who laughs and lets the two cling to him.

"Hi kiddies!" Fenrir greets them with a large grin, ruffling their hair and looking up when Peter steps into the room with messy hair, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and wearing some old Hello Kitty pajama pants. "Nice pants, Parker."

"Wha-?" Peter blinked in confusion before his eyes widened when he finally registered who was standing their kitchen. "Ugh, you're only here to bully me."

"Is that not what younger brothers do? Am I wrong?" Fenrir asked Sleipnir and Tony with a wink and the two younger kids giggled before letting go of their brother.

"Alright kids, take a seat, breakfast is ready," Bucky instructs them as he starts placing bowls of oatmeal with blueberries, slices of banana, cinnamon and other different toppings.

"What are we doing today?" Peter asked with a mouthful which made the younger kids cringe.

"We're getting the tree up on our floor and the communal floor. And then we can bake some cookies if you want."

"Yeah!" Tony and Sleipnir shouted excitedly, Peter being busy shoveling oatmeal into his mouth to respond and Fenrir nods appreciatively.

"Just please do not ruin my kitchen," Loki warns them but they all look at each other and chuckle to which she simply sighs.

"Fen, are you gonna come to my Christmas concert at school?" Tony asks his brother as he looks up from his bowl.

"Uh concert?" Fenrir asked curiously as he looked at his parents for answers. "What concert?"

"Anthony's music class is performing in a Christmas concert at their school on Friday evening. Will you be joining us?" Loki explained to her son.

"Sure, sounds fun. I plan on staying until the end of the month anyway." Fenrir shrugged, smiling over at Tony who cheered.

Bucky smiles at that, glad to have one more kid at home with them and he really couldn't wait until the other two joined them.

*

"So what is this again?" Fenrir asked with a slight scowl as he eyed all the parents and children gathered in the elementary school's gym, taking a seat on the bleachers on Sleipnir's right with Peter to the seven year old's left.

Sleipnir meanwhile is bouncing in his seat and looking around in hopes of spotting their youngest brother, but there's a red curtain blocking off the area where the children would be performing.

"Tony's class is performin' in the Christmas concert," Bucky explained as he made sure Sleipnir didn't spill any of his popcorn.

"How long is this?"

"Two hours with an intermission after the first fifty minutes," Peter replied quickly since he held the concert program with the words **'Highland Academy Presents: the 2017 Christmas Concert'** in bold red and green letters. "According to the program, Tony's class goes up in exactly thirty minutes."

"Well, wake me up when Bambi takes the stage," Fenrir says as he uses a simple spell that helps keep him upright and slips on his sunglasses while Loki and Bucky sigh and rolls their eyes.

The concert starts a few minutes later, Alex and Alana's mom sitting on Loki's free side and the two women getting into a conversation until the show starts. Fenrir, true to his word, did sleep until just before Tony came on stage. Once Tony was on, Fenrir pulled his phone out and recorded the whole fifteen minute performance like a proud older brother. Peter recorded it too and sent pictures and videos to Ned and MJ.

"Mommy! Papa!" Tony shouts after the concert ends, rushing up to them dressed in his black pants and white dress shirt with his hair neatly combed back.

"Hi darling!" Loki greets him as she picks up the five year and kisses his cheek, making sure she didn't leave behind a red lipstick stain. "You were wonderful, my sweet boy."

"You guys liked it?" Tony asked shyly as he eyed the rest of his family who were smiling up at him.

"We loved it, spider baby!" Peter reassures him. "Got a lot of pictures and videos."

"Yeah, bub, we're real proud of you," Fenrir speaks up next as he reaches up to mess up Tony's hair despite Loki's warning look. She'd spent a long time just trying to get the five year old to sit down and stay still so she could brush his hair.

"Loved it, Tony!" Sleipnir chimes in excitedly, still bouncing but Bucky suspects it's from the cotton candy he just had.

"You were amazing up there, Bambi," Bucky coos as he leans over to kiss his son's cheek. "Now, what do you boys say about going out to eat?"

"Yes!" They all shout excitedly and Loki just prepares herself for the long night ahead.

Sleipnir's already hyped on sugar and she's absolutely sure all four boys will want milkshakes with their late dinner, but it's okay though. Her boys deserve a nice night out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A year ago today, I posted the very first part of this series so happy birthday to Candy Stealer and I hope to be able to give you guys many more works in the To Be Young Again series.
> 
> Also, your home girl turned 21 today (halloween baby yay) *insert Joey Tribbiani voice* "Why, God, why?!" but just like the last four years, I spent it taking my little sister trick or treating at least I get candy tho 😂😂


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony had always loved the world, but the world hadn't always loved him and it was about time the world did.

On the day before Christmas Eve, just two days after arriving at the compound, Hela and Jormungand arrived in the middle of a snowball fight between their other four siblings and their father and Uncle Thor. They could see their mom watching from the window with a displeased expression on his face and another woman with short red hair looking highly amused by everything with a mug of something warm cradled between her hands.

"Hela! Jor!" Sleipnir shouted after having spotted them first and ran as best he could towards them.

"Hello, little one. I see that you are having fun," Hela comments with a smile as she leans down to hug her little brother who clings to her tightly.

"Lots of fun! You want to join us?" Sleipnir asked as he pulled away to hug Jormungand.

"In a bit, bub. Let us greet mother first and then we will join you all out here," Jormungand reassures him with a pat to his head.

Tony rushed over to them, laughing as Hela pressed kisses to his cold cheeks. Peter and Fenrir followed along with Thor and Bucky who were grinning as they greeted the sixteen year old girl and eleven year old boy.

"Wanna go see mom?" Bucky asks as he wraps an arm around each kid and begins to lead them towards the compound where Loki was smiling and waving at them.

"Yes otherwise he will come out here and drag us inside and we all know how much he hates the snow," Hela joked which makes Bucky and Jormungand laugh as the front door opens and they're greeted by Loki in the foyer.

"I know you three are laughing about me, but I do not care at the moment. Just give me my kids," Loki says as he walks forward to pull his daughter and son into a hug. "Missed you two."

"We missed you too, mom, but can you let up on the hug? We still kinda need to breath," Jormungand complained.

"And I can feel my ribs shifting," Hela groaned out and Loki let them go to stare at the two with narrowed eyes. "Yeah yeah, we know you hate our joking."

"One day you will be hurt for real and I will brush it off as you joking like usual," Jormungand and Fenrir quote their mother word for word and both Peter and Tony laugh while Bucky shakes his head fondly.

"Geez Lo, they sound exactly like you," Bucky teased his boyfriend who turned to glare at him instead. "Yeah I know, I'll sleep on the couch. Again."

Thor and Natasha snickered at Bucky's kicked puppy expression, but they both knew not to mess with Loki anymore. He really had little patience and tolerance these days.

"How about, before you end up sleeping outside, why don't you take the kids to change out of their wet clothes and show the others where they'll be sleeping?" Natasha suggests with a smirk.

"Come on kiddies," Bucky says as he picks up Sleipnir and Tony like potato sacks and the two kids laugh hysterically as they hang from their father's hold.

The other four follow their father with Peter showing them videos and pictures of the mess they'd made in Loki's kitchen after attempting to bake some cookies and how they'd ended up grounded, Bucky included.

At the compound, they'd had a whole section built for them to fit their family, though Tony and Sleipnir had insisted on sharing a room anyways along with Peter and Fenrir. They had their own kitchen, living and dining area plus enough bedrooms and bathrooms for all of them plus the baby and then some. Bucky and Loki had made the petition to have an area specifically for them and their family since Steve had mentioned relocating the team to the compound at some point. While it wouldn't be ideal for Bucky and Loki to relocate their little family with the team because of Tony and Peter's schooling, it would still mean that they would spend their summers and weekends at the compound anyways.

"That's a big tree," Jormungand comments when they step into the living area of their suite.

And it was. It was easily nine feet tall, if not slightly bigger and with many branches that were covered in lights, ornaments of all shapes and other festive stuff. A star sat at the top of the tree and presents surrounded it. The room also smelled very Christmas-y and the fire in the fireplace kept it warm and cozy as the large windows gave view of the snow covered grounds.

"Alright you two, lets get you dressed in something dry and warm while we let your brother and sister get settled in their rooms," Loki says as he takes Tony and Sleipnir's hands and leads them up the stairs to their rooms, both boys walking with a waddle thanks to their snow suits. Loki simply smiles fondly at them, patient as they struggle to get one foot up on the next step.

"Can we have hot chocolate?" Tony asks his mama as they enter their shared room, set up like back in the tower with their beds on either side of the room and one half decorated to Tony's liking and the other half to Sleipnir's.

"Later darling, your Uncle Steve is making dinner with Bruce and Wanda, but how about during the movie tonight?"

"We're having a movie night?" Sleipnir asks excitedly and both kids cheer when Loki confirms with a nod.

As Loki is helping Tony change, Hela walks into the room and smiles at the sight of Sleipnir tickling Tony's bare sides which sends the five year old laughing and trying to squirm away. Loki chuckles as he watches his youngest two before looking over when Hela approaches and leans into his side.

"Have you been alright?" Loki asked his daughter as he helped Tony get his shirt on.

"Yeah, just still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I can easily come visit you guys whenever I want," Hela replies softly, sounding very much like that scared little girl from Loki's memories. "This was all I had ever wanted back then and now that I can, I just do not know how to handle it."

"I know sweetheart," Loki says softly as he wraps his arms around his daughter and holds her tight to himself, hearing the two other boys run out the room to give them some privacy. "Some days I cannot believe it either, but we are all here together finally. I promised you that we would, did I not?"

"You did." Hela pulled away from him, looking over at the door when Bucky walks in. She smiles up at him and he pulls her into a hug, letting her lean against him.

"Dinner's ready. I got the boys seated already, just waitin' on you two and Thor," Bucky informs as he rests his chin on Hela's head and the two nod.

They follow Bucky to the communal floor where Hela then sits next to Fenrir at the table where there are mountains of food. Dinner is a loud affair and with the whole team at home for once, it kinda feels like an early Christmas celebration. Tony eats on Bucky's lap for some reason, refusing to sit in his own seat and so Bucky indulges him just this once.

"So what movie do you kids want to watch?" Clint asked them just before dinner came to an end, he being on his third slice of apple pie that Wanda had baked earlier that day much to everyone, but Fenrir's, horror. Fenrir was also on his third slice and Bucky had come to realize how similar the archer and his son were and he was a little concerned to be honest.

"Home Alone!" Tony and Sleipnir shout excitedly.

"And Home Alone 2!" Clint and Fenrir shouted at the same time. "Jinx! You owe me a soda!" They both looked at each other with large grins. "What?! No way! You do!"

"I think we've created a monster, doll," Bucky informs his boyfriend as he stares at Loki who looks horrified by the scene.

"Seems so," Loki mumbles in complete resignation as Fenrir and Clint keep arguing over who owes who what.

*

"It's Christmas!" They hear Tony shout from across the hall followed by a tired groan from Fenrir.

Loki echoed that sentiment as she cuddled into Bucky's side and buried her face into his neck. They'd all gone to bed pretty late last night and lately Loki was finding it hard to sleep despite how tired and sleepy she was throughout the day.

"If we don't get up now, he'll run in here and jump on our bed until we do," Bucky reminds her but he wraps his arms around her anyways and makes no move to get up.

"I know, but I believe we have earned a few extra minutes to just lay here for a bit," Loki responds with her eyes closed and sneaks a hand under his top and starts tracing Bucky's six pack with a black painted nail. "Pretty soon we will be wishing we took advantage of these moments."

"I know." Bucky sighed as he stroked her back. "How did we become this kind of family?" Bucky questions as he points to his and Loki's matching pajamas.

The two were wearing Santa pajamas with red and white stripped pants with their long sleeved shirts resembling Santa's coat and all of the kids were dressed in matching elf pajamas with green and white stripped pants and a green long sleeved shirt with a fake belt printed on.

"Wouldn't I like to know. I have no idea how Peter managed to convince us."

Meanwhile out in the hall, Tony and Sleipnir raced around waking up their siblings so they could go open their presents. Fenrir and Peter, who also shared a room, groaned as they were woken up by the kids jumping on their beds.

"Little dudes, not cool," Peter groaned as he pulled Tony down to cuddle him and Sleipnir sat on Fenrir's back. "It's way too early."

"It's not, right FRIDAY?" Tony asked the AI as he struggled to break free from Peter's hold.

"Affirmative, little boss. The time is currently 9:56 am, Peter," FRIDAY replied in a chirpy mood. "Merry Christmas, little ones!"

"Merry Christmas, FRIDAY!" Tony and Sleipnir shout, the older two still being too tired to form coherent phrases.

"You boys want some hot chocolate while we wait for mom and dad to get out of bed?" Hela asks as she stands by the entrance to their room with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips.

"I'd rather not know. I've had enough traumatic experiences to last me a lifetime," Peter commented as he sat up with Tony on his lap, the child poking his stomach repeatedly until the teen caught his hand and made a face at the five year old who giggled.

"You poor unfortunate soul," Hela jokes as she walks over to pick up Sleipnir off of Fenrir who thanked her with a single look. "But no, that is not what I meant. FRIDAY says they are being lazy and knowing mom, it can be awhile until they are up. So hot chocolate?"

"Yes!" The younger two shout and Hela sets Sleipnir down and they watch the boys run out the room, probably to get Jormungand who was still in his room.

By the time Loki and Bucky finally manage to leave the comfort and warmth of their bed, the kids are all seated at the island with hot chocolate and a plate of the leftover cookies from last night being shared between them. They all smile when their parents walk into the kitchen, asking if they can open their presents yet.

"In a minute, let me have coffee first and make sure the other lazy heroes are up," Bucky says as he moves towards the coffee machine, thankful that FRIDAY had already made some coffee so he just grabs a mug and pours coffee in it.

"FRIDAY says they are, right FRI?" Tony asks for confirmation that the AI quickly gives by stating that everyone else is already awake and having some form of breakfast.

"Okay, then hurry up so we can go meet up with the rest in the communal living room and then we'll come back here and open the ones under this tree."

Loki meanwhile hurries up in making her tea before following her family out of their suite and towards the communal area.

Thor was the first to greet them, wearing the exact same pajamas as the kids and Loki sighed. This was like last year all over again.

"Oh my god, is this real?!" Clint asks in amusement once he sees that Thor's elf pajamas match the kids.

The others turn to look and Sam, Clint, Rhodey, and Scott all start to laugh while Wanda, Darcy and Pepper stifle their giggles and the rest either look completely resigned with their lives or just plain amused. Loki simply sips at her tea silently as she settles in one of the the armchairs and tries not to make fun of her brother. She promised she'd be a better person and she was going to start by not insinuating that Thor was stupid every five seconds. Her brother was actually surprisingly smart. Not that she would ever admit that out loud.

"We're definitely making the elves our next family Christmas card," Clint snickers after having taken a picture of Thor with all the kids on his phone.

"Fenrir!" Loki called out to her son when she saw his hands starting to glow with their greenish-gold color.

"But mom!" Fenrir whined as he pointed at Clint who tried to look as innocent as possible.

"At least wait until after Christmas is over," Loki replies instead, hiding a smirk behind her tea cup as Clint spluttered and stared at her wide eyed.

"Doll, you promised you wouldn't give our kids leeway to murder the archer," Bucky scolds his girlfriend playfully and Loki simply shrugs.

"Mean and Spooky is being mean and spooky again!" Clint tattles as he heads off to find someone who actually cares. Unfortunately for him, he finds no one.

Bucky sits on the armrest of Loki's seat as he watches the kids start to pick out their presents from the rather large pile under the tree. Everyone else either sits around on the couches or in Thor, Clint, Sam and Scott's case, next to the kids.

"My alpaca!" Tony shouts excitedly as he hugs an alpaca plushie tight to his chest with a giant grin on his face.

"I got one too!" Sleipnir shouts just as excited and the two kids giggle as they show off their new stuffed toys to the team.

"He really wouldn't let that go," Steve comments with a chuckle as he sits on the other armchair next to Loki's with his own cup of coffee.

"Nope and whatever Thing 1 wants, Thing 2 does too, Sleipnir decided he also would like an alpaca," Bucky explains with a fond shake of his head.

"My llama!" Comes Peter's shout and half the room snorts in amusement as the fifteen year old holds up his stuffed llama in the air.

"And there is Thing 3," Loki comments in amusement and Steve laughs.

A few minutes later Tony approaches Loki a little shyly with a neatly wrapped present in his hands and she simply stares at her son curiously as Bucky sits up beside her, clearly not knowing anything either.

"What is this, darling?" She asks her child as she sets her tea cup on the overcrowded coffee table.

Tony doesn't say anything, just offers the box to Loki who takes it with a thanks and looks for a tag.

"To baby from Tony," Loki reads and she curses her hormones as her eyes immediately tear up.

Loki doesn't even realize that the room's fallen quiet as she starts to tear at the red colored wrapping paper. Inside the box, she finds a familiar bear with caramel colored fur and big black eyes. Loki finds herself staring at Tony with wide eyes as she pulls the bear out of the box gently.

"Anthony, darling, what-"

"It's for baby, mommy. Baby's gonna need it more than me now," Tony explains with his hands behind his back and shuffling his feet nervously, refusing to make eye contact with either of his parents who were staring at him in shock.

Tony had decided to give the baby Mister Snuggles as a present, his most beloved toy. The one bear Tony always went everywhere with and did everything with. The very first toy he'd received when everything with Tony getting turned into a kid had happened. Tony's very first best friend.

"Bambi, are ya absolutely sure? Ya love Mister Snuggles," Bucky asked his kid in a choked up voice. Distinctly he can hear someone sniffling in the background but he's much too shocked to figure out who it was.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't need him anymore. I've got other ones and baby doesn't have any," Tony reassures his parents with a big smile, showing off two missing teeth and one that was starting to grow back in.

Loki sets the bear back in the box and then sets it aside and pulls her five year old into a hug, crying quietly into his shoulder as she hugs him tight. Her heart was swelling with so much love and pride for her selfless little boy who had a heart of gold. He deserved the entire world and damn it if she wasn't going to do her best to give it to him. Tony had always loved the world, but the world hadn't always loved him and it was about time the world did.

"I love you so much, darling. Thank you for doing this," Loki says as she pulls back and presses a kiss to Tony's cheek. "Baby is going to love your present, Anthony."

Tony grinned at his mother before rushing off to meet his siblings who all pulled him into a group hug. Loki grabbed the box with the bear and then left the room without looking at anyone or saying anything. Bucky knew it was because she didn't like to show emotions in front of the team. It took a while for her to even do so in front of Bucky and even know, she sometimes feels uncomfortable doing so.

"I'll be back," Bucky said to no one in particular as he headed off after his girlfriend.

Once in their suite, he found her curled up on the couch with Mister Snuggles clutched to her chest and silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You alright?" Bucky asked as he sat next to her and wrapped his arms around Loki's shaking shoulders.

"We must have done something right in our terrible lives to deserve someone like Anthony," Loki replies as she leans completely against her boyfriend, her gaze locked with the bear.

"Something had to go right in our lives, babydoll, after everything we've been through. Maybe this was the universe's way of compensatin' us for everythin' shitty."

Loki then laughed and buried her face in the bear.

"You believe Anthony will be able to live without his beloved bear?"

"He's got Gerald now, I know he'll be fine"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit to searching for over an hour through various websites for a good gift that Tony could give to the baby and then I took one look at my own favorite dog plushie that I got when I was five and boom! I suddenly had an idea. I've got a 6 year old sister, but I would have never been able to give her my dog, like fuck no lmao. But with who Tony is as a person, I thought it was fitting that he do something like that, ya know?


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "FRIDAY, try getting into contact with James, please. Tell him there has been an emergency with Anthony," Loki tells the AI, sounding exhausted and worried as she leans back on the couch, Sleipnir curling up into her side.

Two days after Christmas, Loki gets woken up by FRIDAY telling him that Tony had woken up with an elevated body temperature which meant it was bound to be a long few days with a sick five year old. So getting out of bed, Loki quickly heads across the hall to Tony and Sleipnir's room. Tony's already sitting up in bed with flushed cheeks and breathing with difficulty, eyes meeting Loki's as soon as he entered. In the other bed, Sleipnir was still fast asleep.

"Darling, are you ill?" Loki asked as he sat on the bed and stroked Tony's hair.

"I feel icky, mama," Tony complained, voice hoarse and he went into a coughing fit right after. "Everythin' hurts."

"Shall we go find you some medicine and then cuddle on the big bed until your siblings wake up?"

Tony nods and Loki carries him and Gerald to the master bedroom where he sets Tony on the bed and then heads to the bathroom to grab some medicine. It was a bad time for Bucky to have gone out on a mission with nearly the whole team. Tony was clingy when he was sick.

"Alright darling, here's your medicine," Loki said as he poured the necessary amount into the little cup before handing it to Tony who eyed it with distaste. "It will make you feel better and you know it."

Tony whined but took his medicine, grimacing at the taste and Loki smiled fondly before taking the cup and going to wash it in the bathroom and put it back. When he returned to the room, Tony was already snuggled under the blankets with his alpaca and was starting to fall asleep again. Loki laid down next to his son and began to sing quietly and rub his back until he fell asleep.

*

"Where's Tony?" Sleipnir asked his mother who was preparing breakfast, all the kids sitting around the island looking more asleep than awake.

"Anthony is sleeping in my room. He woke up with a fever, darling," Loki explained as he handed each kid a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon and toast.

"He's sick?" Peter asked worriedly with his fork in hand and brown eyes open wide and the rest of them suddenly looked wide awake and worried.

"Yes, but hopefully the medicine I gave him earlier will help him out some."

"Poor bub," Fenrir says with a frown as he starts eating.

They spend the rest of breakfast in silence, the kids clearly worried about their baby brother who according to FRIDAY was still asleep though his fever remained the same.

"Are you going to inform father of Anthony's illness?" Hela asks their mom as she helps him clean up after breakfast, the other four boys heading off to the living room to watch TV.

"I would if I could, but FRIDAY informed me that they would be going radio silent for the next three days. It is an important mission which is why almost all of the Avengers are out," Loki explained as he dried a plate. "Hopefully we will be able to handle this. Anthony has never been sick for more than four days."

Hela nodded though she hoped her mother was right.

Things take a turn for the worst late that night. Tony had been puking since after dinner and his fever was not going down no matter what Loki and Bruce, who was the only other Avenger at the compound, did. If anything, Tony's fever was getting dangerously high and he started to complain about a pain in his belly which had Bruce deciding to take him straight to medical.

So now at nearly two am, Loki and the rest of her kids sat outside in the waiting room as Bruce, Dr Cho and Tony's usual pediatrician were running tests on the five year old.

"FRIDAY, try getting into contact with James, please. Tell him there has been an emergency with Anthony," Loki tells the AI, sounding exhausted and worried as she leans back on the couch, Sleipnir curling up into her side.

"Calls still won't go through, but I will keep trying, miss," FRIDAY responds in a quiet tone and Loki sighs in exasperation.

"Thank you, FRIDAY."

Bruce walked out of the room a few minutes later and Loki was up immediately with the rest of her kids on either side, all waiting to hear how Tony was.

"It's appendicitis, so we're going to need to operate on Tony. Dr Cho and Dr Williams are already prepping everything for surgery," Bruce informs the group, giving them a reassuring smile. "He's going to be okay. Luckily his appendix hadn't burst yet, otherwise it would have complicated things a bit more. But surgery will be quick and he'll be good to go back home by no later than the day after tomorrow."

"Thank you Bruce," Loki tells the doctor.

"Don't mention it. You guys should get some rest, especially you Loki. I will come back out once the surgery is over."

Bruce heads back in the direction that he came from while the kids all settle in the empty couches. Loki's cellphone began to vibrate in the pocket of her jacket and she pulled it out to see that it was Bucky calling.

"James," Loki answered in relief as she walked away from the kids to let them get some rest.

"Doll, what's wrong? FRIDAY said something was wrong with Tony?" He asked worriedly.

"Anthony is in surgery right." _"What?!"_ "He woke up with a fever yesterday morning and as the day progressed he only got worse until I got Bruce to come and see him and by then Anthony's stomach was hurting. Bruce, Dr Cho and Dr Williams ran tests and came to the conclusion that it was his appendix."

"Alright, okay. Are you and the kids in medical right now?"

"Yes, they are all here anxiously waiting to hear about their brother."

"Okay, good. I'm on my way back with some of the others. I'll probably be there in two or three hours, hopefully sooner," Bucky told her with a hint of frustration laced in his voice that had Loki smiling softly.

"Do not worry, James. Just come back safe," Loki says as she leans against a wall and looked over at her kids, Sleipnir was curled up on Peter's lap already fast asleep and the teen himself who had his legs stretched across the couch and feet resting on Fenrir's lap, was trying not to nod off. Hela and Jormungand sat on Fenrir's other side with no space between them.

"You try and get some rest, too, babydoll. For the baby."

"I will. I will keep you updated. I love you, James."

"I love you too, Lo."

Loki sat on the other couch and waited. She didn't get any sleep and it seemed like an eternity before Bruce and Dr Cho walked out and she was up in an instant. Hela woke up the other kids who were by Loki's side in an instant.

"How's Anthony?" Loki asked the two doctors.

"The surgery went well. He's in the room now recovering so you guys can go in and see him if you want, but he'll be out for the rest of the night possibly morning," Dr Cho explained in a reassuring tone.

"Thank you," Loki tells them, feeling Sleipnir lean into her side tiredly while the others sighed in relief.

"No problem. We'll still keep monitoring him through the rest of tonight and during the day," Bruce informs them and then lets the family go see their youngest member.

"You should get some sleep. I will stay up in case Anthony or one of the others need something," Hela tells her mother quietly as the other kids settle on the three cots Bruce had already rolled into the room for them. "And do not argue, I know you are tired. You have been taking care of Anthony all day."

Loki didn't even bother protesting knowing Hela wasn't going to take no for an answer. So Loki goes to sit on the couch closest to Tony's bed and gets comfortable as her eyes start to slip shut right away.

When he wakes up, the sun is out and Tony is still sleeping peacefully with Mister Snuggles tucked in next to him. The other kids are gone, so Loki guesses they went off to eat something.

"FRIDAY, do you know how much longer until James gets here?" Loki asked, frowning immediately when he didn't get an answer. "FRIDAY?"

Getting up from the couch, Loki headed towards the door and peeked out into the hall only to find everything empty and completely silent. Usually there would be a few SHIELD agents in and out of medical and the other staff roaming around, but there was no one.

Digging his phone out of his pocket, Loki tried using it to contact someone but there was no signal.

"Okay, do not panic, maybe they are doing maintenance of some kind to the compound and communications down, that's why," Loki tries to reassure himself as he headed back to Tony's bedside, the child still fast asleep.

Just then a male nurse walked in wearing a surgical mask and with a syringe in one hand.

"Uh excuse me, do you know where doctors Banner and Cho are?" Loki asked the man who shook his head mutely as he readied the syringe to inject it into Tony's IV. "What is that?"

"Oh honey," the man finally said as he turned to stare at Loki who froze upon hearing his voice. "I'm only completing the job Maggie couldn't finish."

"Marcos?" Loki called out shakily though he tried rushing to the other side of Tony's bed where the man was starting to inject the liquid inside the syringe into Tony. "Stop it!"

Marcos laughed as he easily dodged one of Loki's attacks, waving a hand and sending him flying across the room. The heart monitor began to beep like crazy once the liquid was fully injected and Loki struggled to his feet, arm wrapped around his bump protectively as he pulled out one of his daggers and charged at the man with complete fury.

"It's too late, Loki. By now, the serum should have entered the system and this could go one of two ways; either his body accepts it or in case of rejection, well you might want to prepare for the worst," Marcos says as he grabs Loki's wrist in a tight hold to stop the dagger from being stabbed into him. "You were better not getting in my way, Princess."

Loki gasped in pain when his own dagger was shoved into his side and Marcos let go of the bruising grip on his wrist only to stagger backwards. Loki had no time to react to anything else as beeping fell into one continuous beep that had him sinking to his knees and staring at his son in horror.

"Too bad. Tony could have been useful." Marcos shrugged. "Guess this means I'm going to have to make adjustments to the serum again."

Loki didn't even register the man's retreating footsteps nor did he register the pain or the blood soaking his shirt. He didn't feel anything as he stared at his little boy who was no longer breathing. The same little boy who just twenty four hours ago had been alright.

"Loki?" Someone called from behind him but Loki didn't turn. The voice was male and familiar but he didn't comprehend why. He was too busy trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

"Loki."

A pained gasp left Loki's lips as her eyes flew open only to find a pair of blue/gray eyes staring back at her in worry.

"Doll, come on, deep breaths," Bucky encouraged her as he sat on the couch next to Loki to rub at her back soothingly. "It's okay, it was just a nightmare."

Loki struggles to get her breathing and heart rate back to normal, clutching at her bump as tears poured down her cheeks and her whole body trembled.

"Here is a glass of water," Loki heard Hela say and then Bucky thanked her before sending her off to catch up to the rest of her siblings.

"Doll, here. Drink some water," Bucky encouraged as he handed the glass to her but her hands shook a little too much so he helped her drink from it. "You want to talk about it?"

Loki shook her head, still trying hard to calm down from that awful recurring nightmare. She looked up to find Tony fast asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly and it helped to calm her down a bit.

"Lo, maybe you should talk to someone," Bucky suggested carefully as he eyed his girlfriend who was staring at their son, body shaking and hands clenched into fists with sparks of green flaring every now and then. "You've been havin' the same nightmare since Tony got taken."

"How do you know it is the same one?" Loki questions him, finally tearing her gaze away from her son to stare at her boyfriend.

"You always stare at Tones to make sure he's breathin' and it's not that hard to figure it out. And your hands always begin to glow which you know you should try and to not use your magic. The baby's already draining your seidr as it is, doll."

"I know, but I promise that I am fine and I do not need to talk to anyone about this. Please, just, leave it, James," Loki snapped.

Bucky sighed and looked like he wanted to keep arguing about it, but Bruce walked in and smiled at the couple.

"How's Anthony?" Loki asks the doctor as she gets up and approaches her son's side.

"He's fine. Slept through the remainder of the night with no problems and we'll wait until he wakes up to see how he's doing," Bruce informs them as he checks the IV bags Tony was hooked up with. "Dr Williams said he'd like to run more tests once Tony wakes up to eliminate the possibility of other infections."

"Thank you Bruce," Bucky responds and the doctor nods before walking out of the room again.

Loki ran a hand through Tony's hair and leaned down to kiss his forehead. She flinched slightly when Bucky placed a hand on her back.

"I need to use the bathroom," she whispered and then left the room quickly.

Bucky meanwhile stayed with Tony, pulling up a chair to sit next to him. He only looked up when Steve and Natasha walked in, both looking just as exhausted as him.

"Where's Loki?" Natasha asked noticing that only Bucky was in the room with Tony.

"Bathroom. She had another nightmare and I'd rather not get into a fight with her right now," Bucky replies with a frown as he leans back in his seat and rubs at his eyes.

"I'll go check up on her." Natasha squeezed his shoulder before heading out of the room and towards the bathrooms out in the hall.

"Have you gotten any sleep since we got here?" Steve asked his best friend as he grabbed the other chair and pulled up next to Bucky to talk quietly and not disturb Tony who was starting to stir on the bed.

"No. Wanted to make sure the other kids got some breakfast and then check in on Loki. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to rest until Tony wakes up," Bucky explained with a sigh.

"Well Thor is snoring out there in the waiting room and I'm just glad Tony's the only one in medical right now."

Bucky snickered at that and shook his head. Tony started to wake up at the same time that Natasha and Loki walked into the room.

"Hey there, Bambi," Bucky greets as he stands from the chair and leans over to kiss Tony's head. "How are you feelin'?"

"Tired," Tony mumbles as he blinks sleepily up at his parents who stand together smiling down at him.

"That is to be expected, darling. You have been sick," Loki explains, faintly hearing Natasha and Steve leave the room to presumably get the doctor.

"Can I go home? I wanna go home."

"Not yet, kid. Bruce still has to run a few tests but I assume that you'll be able to get out of here by tomorrow morning," Bucky tells him with a grin, moving to hug Loki from behind and rest his chin on the mage's shoulder with his hands on her bump. "Are ya hungry?"

"No. My tummy feels funny."

"You had surgery last night, darling. They had to remove your appendix."

"What's that? Am I gonna get a new one? Am I gonna die?!"

"Shh, no. You don't need a new one, Bambi, and you're not gonna die. Your appendix is in your tummy but it doesn't actually do anything important so you can keep livin' without it."

Tony relaxed at that though there was still a pout on his face as he holds Gerald with the arm that didn't have any needles. The couple look up when Bruce, Dr Williams and Steve walk in. They step away from Tony as the two doctors get to work on checking the kid.

"How is he?" Steve asks as the three talk by the door.

"Freaked out when we told him he got his appendix removed. Thought he was gonna die," Bucky says in between chuckles and Loki simply smiles fondly and shakes her head as Steve laughs and looks over at Tony who's pouting more at whatever the doctors have told him.

"Love that kid," Steve says fondly as he looks over at Tony who's fighting the doctors on putting Gerald on the bedside table so they can run the necessary tests. "Anyways, why don't you guys go eat something? Nat and I can stay with the kid."

"Thank you, Steve," Loki tells him, giving him a smile before leaving the room.

The two walk across the compound to the Avengers wing and head to the communal kitchen where the kids were still eating and Sam and Wanda were working on breakfast. The kids all bolt out of their seats as soon as they spot their parents and head towards them to ask about their baby brother.

"He's fine, kids. He's awake and we left him with Nat and Steve," Bucky explains as he ushers them back to their seats so they can keep eating. "You can go see him once you're done eating breakfast."

*

"Look at them," Bucky says as he stands behind Loki with his arms around the mage, the two watching all of their kids fuss over their baby brother, "they look like headless chickens runnin' 'round and fetchin' things for Bambi."

"James." Loki laughed and shook his head as he leaned back against his boyfriend. "Glad to have Anthony back home. Gave me quite a fright."

"Sorry I wasn't here to help ya out." Bucky kisses the side of Loki's face a few times before nuzzling his nose into the mage's dark hair.

"You could not have known Anthony would fall ill, if anything, I am sorry I had to cut your mission short."

"Uh uh, don't do that. Whenever it comes to you or the kids, I'll come runnin' back home to be with ya. You guys are my family and the most important people in my life, so don't ya ever forget that."

Loki didn't say anything, instead just kept watching his kids try to make Tony comfortable on his bed by fluffing his pillows or getting him water or more blankets. It was endearing and despite everything that had happened, he never wanted the moment to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to rewrite this entire chapter but my laziness got in the way so have the rough draft instead😂😂
> 
> Also, I was going to upload the first chapter of the Thor/Tony story feat baby!Loki today, but I just realized that I don't have a proper title. It's just sitting on my drive in a folder titled "Metal Man/Point Break" and I am terrible with titles so I'm guessing you might need to wait another week or two for the first chapter, lmao


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I've been fightin' for a really long time and frankly, I'm gettin' a little tired and I want to just settle down with my family."

January passes without a hitch. Loki's kids head back to Asgard with Thor a few days after the start of the new year, Peter gets the green light to go out as Spider-Man again, as long as he takes someone with him. Tony becomes more attached to Loki, often times acting like a spoiled brat who doesn't get his way when Loki can't take him to school. Loki's morning sickness has finally let up, though now that he's nearing the halfway point, he's more exhausted than usual and experiencing other unfortunate symptoms.

February arrives with the excitement that they'll hopefully get to learn the gender of their baby. The bets around all the members of the team, including May, Happy, Pepper and even Wong and Stephen, have been placed with a chalkboard in the communal living room keeping track.

Currently, the family were staying on Steve's floor while theirs was being renovated to join Tony's penthouse and their floor into one larger unit. Pepper had helped them with the floor plans and made sure to hire the best workers who were quick and efficient, hoping to have everything done quickly.

Their new floor plan would be two stories, with the kitchen, living room, dining room, two bedrooms and three bathrooms on the first floor while on the second would include five bedrooms and five bathrooms. They needed the extra space for their other kids even if they only visited from time to time. Though with the baby coming soon, Loki knows the others will basically move in with them.

"Are we going to live in the tower permanently though?" Bucky asked one night as he and Loki lay in bed with the lights dimmed and the mage rubbing at her bump in soothing circles.

"What do you mean?" Loki asks curiously as she looks over at Bucky who turns on his side to face her, bringing his metal hand over and pushing up Loki's shirt to caress her bare bump.

"I mean, I love the team and they're such a big help with the kids, but I have a dream, ya know? That we'll find our own place with a large backyard for the kids to run around in and we can have more privacy and maybe get that alpaca that Tones wants," Bucky explains as he stares at Loki to study her reaction. "I've been fightin' for a really long time and frankly, I'm gettin' a little tired and I want to just settle down with my family."

"I have thought of that as well. I love our extended family, but I do admit that we need a bit more privacy than we get here and as fun as it has been being an Avenger, I believe that we should start letting the newer generations take over," Loki replies as she smiles over at Bucky who leans forward to kiss her softly.

"We can start looking for our own place once the baby's born."

Loki turns on her side and drapes a long leg over his waist, a devious smirk on her lips. Bucky got the hint and trailed a hand down to her ass.

"We really need our floor back," Bucky says with a slight groan as he starts kissing down Loki's neck and rolls his hips upwards.

"Just a few more days," Loki replies breathlessly.

Bucky listens as she lets out a small content sigh and feels her fingers slip into his long hair, tugging at the strands with just the right amount of pressure. He grins into her skin, moving his metal hand up inside her shirt to stroke at her back as the two of them get into a nice rhythm with their hips.

*

"So Valentine's Day is a few days away, planning anything special for Loki?" Natasha asks Bucky as the two of them plus Steve, Sam and Clint are in the training room one Monday morning.

With the kids at school and Loki working with Pepper in the mornings, Bucky had too much free time on his hands and so spent most of it in the gym with whoever was at the tower that day. Sometimes if the other kids were visiting, then Bucky would take them out into the city or they'd sit in and watch Bucky spar with either Steve, Thor or Natasha. Hela had formed some form of scary alliance with Natasha and the girl always cheered extra loud for Nat when he'd go up against her, much to his annoyance. Fenrir just took joy in seeing his poor old man on his back, often recording it on his phone and sending it to Peter, Ned and MJ in their little group chat. Jormungand would usually start bets among the other Avengers who would sit and watch. Sleipnir was the only one who would cheer Bucky on.

"Is this you offering to babysit Tony?" Bucky asks as he ties his hair up in a bun.

"What about Peter and the other kids?" Steve asks his best friend.

"He's stayin' with May this week and the other kids said they'd return the day after Loki's next appointment." Bucky shrugged. "And I haven't actually thought of anythin' for Valentines Day."

The others groaned and Natasha gave him a look and shook her head in clear disappointment.

"This will be your first Valentines Day together, she's pregnant and pretty soon dates will be difficult things to plan with a baby around, so fucking come up with something special," Natasha tells him.

"Geez, remind me to never mess with mama bear Nat's cub," Clint mumbles with slightly wide eyes and Steve and Sam nod in agreement.

The team had started calling Natasha mama bear and Loki her cub because of how fiercely protective Natasha was of Loki. Bucky wasn't even sure how or when it had started, and while a part of him was glad that Loki had someone ready to jump in and defend the mage, he was also terrified. All the time.

"Alright, you ladies ready to get your asses kicked?"

*

Valentine's Day eventually arrived and Bucky dropped Tony off at the Parker's residence instead. May had been wanting to see Tony for awhile and he'd rather give Natasha, Steve and Pepper the chance to go out and have dinner or something.

Bucky had planned a nice romantic evening for his girlfriend at one of her favorite restaurants. FRIDAY had helped him make reservations, well the AI had scoured the internet for date ideas because he was lacking in the romantic department.

"You ready for your date?" Steve asked him in a teasing tone as he entered Bucky's old room which was where the ex HYDRA assassin was getting ready. Bucky had wanted to pick up Loki like they did in the movies and had even gotten some flowers for his girlfriend to surprise her with which made him realize that he rarely ever did give her flowers. Mostly because Loki stabbing him was always a reaction he'd rather avoid. Loki had already stabbed him once, Bucky didn't want to go through it again.

"I feel nervous, is it normal?" Bucky asked as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. "It feels like our first date and you know how well that went."

Steve snickered and shook his head before walking forward to fix the crooked mess of a tie his best friend was wearing before replying with, "It's only normal that you feel nervous. You guys don't really go out on dates much and spend most of your time with the kids."

"Ugh, this is gonna be awkward, isn't it?"

"Stop worrying, you'll be fine. Don't be an insensitive asshole. She's pregnant and hormonal and she literally cried over realizing she'd run out of her favorite tea the other day."

"Yeah I know. Peter was there and he looked about ready to cry as well before offering to go and buy more of her tea and she only cried more because Peter was willing to go out and buy some for her. It was a long morning."

Steve laughed and brushed imaginary dust off of Bucky's shoulders before giving him the okay. Bucky left the room and grabbed the bouquet of red, pink and lavender roses with baby's-breath. When the elevator doors opened, he spotted Loki walking down the hall and his breath was taken away momentarily when he saw her.

She was dressed in a black strappy bodycon dress that reached mid thigh and while the color hid her pregnant belly, it also hugged it enough to let him and everyone else see that yeah, she was pregnant with his kid. And though she wore heels on her feet, they weren't as big as she usually wore them which relaxed him a bit. Her long black hair was pulled up into a high pony tail and her lips were a deep red matte color and her green eyes popped with her long black lashes and winged eyeliner.

"You are drooling, Barnes," she teased him as she walked up to her boyfriend who hadn't even realized that his mouth was open. "Maybe I will let you stare some more later tonight."

"Right, uh, just you uh look beautiful. Not that you don't always, but-"

"Hush, darling," she says in complete amusement as Loki places a finger to his lips, a slight flush to her cheeks. "Now, are those flowers for me or-?"

"Oh yeah!" Bucky hands her the roses and watches the way her eyes slowly fill with tears as she brings a hand up to caress the petals of some roses. "You okay?"

"Yes, just you know I get emotional easy nowadays." Loki gave a soft chuckle before walking over to the kitchen to put the roses in a vase.

Once that's done, Bucky helps her put on her coat before they get in the elevator.

...

"So did you like dinner?" Bucky asked as they waited for the valet driver to bring their car around, one arm around Loki's waist as he rubbed her side up and down gently.

"Loved it. You know this is my favorite restaurant," Loki replied with her still dark red lips stretched into a smile and all he wanted to do was kiss and bite her lips just to see if her lipstick would smear or transfer onto his lips.

"Good. I only wanna spoil my lady." Bucky grinned. "Do you wanna go catch a movie-"

"Actually," Loki began as she stepped up into his space with her bump pressing into him, "I have a little something planned back at the tower if you are interested."

Staring into her dark green eyes, Bucky felt a shiver of pleasure run down his spine. Just before he could say anything else, their car pulled up and he quickly drove them back to the tower. Once there, Loki leads him to their bedroom by the hand.

Inside, there are rose petals and candles everywhere, the flames creating a soft romantic glow around their room. Loki pushes him to sit on the bed before she disappears into their walk in closet and closes the double doors behind her with a wink in his direction.

Bucky sits and waits on the bed, loosening up his tie and tossing his jacket onto the arm chair by the window. His fingers slip between red petals, momentarily distracted by their softness when he hears the doors open and he looks up, jaw dropping at the outfit, or lack of, his girlfriend is wearing.

"Figured I would spice things up a bit tonight," Loki says from where she's leaning against the threshold, the black colored lingerie marking a huge contrast between her pale skin.

"Fuck, babydoll," Bucky said breathlessly, taking in all the lace and exposed skin. "Tryin' to kill me?"

"Ridiculous." She scoffed as she walked over to him and sat on his lap with a leg on either side and her five month bump making it a bit difficult. "Now, shall we take advantage of our kid free night?"

"Fuck yeah," he responds quickly with his hands on the mage's hips before leaning up to press his lips against her red ones.

*

"Is mommy okay?" Tony asked Natasha who was currently babysitting him while Loki and Bucky had gone to a doctor's appointment. "Is baby okay?"

"Don't worry, kotenok. They're both okay, but hopefully your parents will get to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl," Natasha explained with a soft smile as she sat next to him on the ground in the living room of her floor, watching him color in a Hello Kitty book.

"I want a sister."

"You do? Why not a brother?" She asked in complete surprise.

"Cause I've got too many of 'em and only one sister. And that way I can have someone to play princesses with, Aunt Tasha. Peter's always the dragon, but I want another princess."

Natasha couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she leaned over to press a quick kiss to his cheek, laughing as he scrunched up his nose at the action. Lately, the only person Tony accepted kisses from was Loki. He was nice about it when Natasha or Wanda or other females gave him kisses, but if Bucky or Peter or one of the other boys gave him kisses, he'd wipe them away and glare.

The elevator doors opened a few minutes later and Bucky and Loki stepped off it with a white envelope in the mage's hand.

"So what's the plan?" Natasha asked them.

"We're telling everyone tonight at dinner. Thor went off to Asgard to bring the kids," Bucky tells her. "Hopefully he won't take long."

Loki rolled her eyes at that because knowing Thor, he always found something to get distracted by.

"Can you tell me first?" Tony asks his parents in the sweetest voice he could muster up as he stared at them with large brown eyes and bottom lip sticking out.

"No, sorry, darling. You will have to wait like everyone else," Loki informs her five year old who pouts and goes back to coloring.

"Poop," Tony mumbles grumpily and the adults try not to laugh at the child who looks genuinely upset that he has to wait.

*

During dinner, the whole team and Loki's kids are present. Steve sat on one end with Bucky to his left and Natasha to his right. Loki sat on Bucky's other side with Tony and then Sleipnir and Peter. Across from Loki sat Hela with Fenrir and then Jormungand. On Peter's other side sat Clint and then Wanda and across from them Thor, Sam and Vision and Bruce sat across from Steve on the other end. They were lucky the dinning room was large and adult Tony had had the idea to order a custom table to be able to add more seats in case the team ever expanded.

"Are you going to keep us waiting much longer? The suspense is making me eat more than usual," Clint whines as he went for thirds.

"I thought this was a normal thing for you," Sam jokes as he looks at Clint with raised eyebrows and the kids all giggle.

"Just hold on a minute. Pepper's dropping by during dinner," Bucky tells them as he collects his and Loki's dirty dishes and takes them to the kitchen.

When Pepper showed up with a cake ten minutes later, they saw that she was also carrying a few confetti poppers. The tubes were long and white and read 'Boy or Girl?' on them in pink and blue letters.

"Alright, so I brought a cake to celebrate from Loki's favorite bakery and some of these for the kids," Pepper tells them as Steve gets up from his seat to help her with the cake and place it on the table in front of Bucky and Loki. "Thought it'd be a fun way to find out the gender. FRIDAY ordered them earlier."

"Good because you know how much I love confetti and glitter," Loki grumbled as he eyed the poppers with distaste as all six kids take them from Pepper excitedly.

"Alright, Sparkles," Steve calls out to him with a teasing grin that has Loki rolling his eyes.

"One time."

"Ooh are we talking about the time a glitter bomb exploded on Mean and Spooky?!" Clint exclaimed excitedly and suddenly all four of Loki's biological kids were demanding to hear the story while Peter and a few others who had been there were trying hard to not laugh at the memory.

"I wanna know about baby!" Tony whines, getting mad that everyone was getting off topic here. "I will make this go off right now." He waves the confetti popper around in a threatening manner.

"Hmm, bossy," Sam comments in complete amusement.

"But I wanna know who managed to prank mom? He can sniff pranks out from miles away," Fenrir asked in absolute curiosity as he turned to stare at Bucky who was grinning next to Loki.

"Later," Bucky whispers with a wink and the kids all giggle.

"How about I put the cake somewhere safe for now if we're going to be getting confetti everywhere?" Natasha suggests as she picks up the cake and takes it to the kitchen before returning quickly.

"Okay kids, on the count of three," Pepper instructs them with a giant grin. "One... two... three!"

The poppers went off and pink confetti and glitter started flying through the air, the room immediately bursting into loud cheers and Tony shouting, "Yes! I'm getting a sister!" Even Vision looked pretty excited, well as excited as an android can look, anyways.

"Finally another girl," Hela was heard over the loud commotion and Natasha and Wanda both nodded in agreement.

Everyone got their chance to hug and congratulate the happy couple and Loki was too happy to care about all the pink glitter and confetti sticking to his hair. All of the kids hugged their mother and asked to see the last ultrasound.

"To everyone who voted boy, pay up losers," Bucky informed the room as he placed Tony's swear jar in the middle of the table and grinned as Clint, Sam, Thor, Fenrir, Jormungand and Steve placed their money inside.

"What is that?" Clint asked as he eyed a rather large gold coin that didn't look like any normal type of coins.

"Oh, sorry. Asgardian currency is all I have but..." Fenrir said before he did a weird motion with his fingers and the coin changed to a regular five dollar bill. "There."

"Weird alien money," Clint grumbled as Loki and Bucky cut the cake and handed everyone a plate.

The cake was covered in white frosting with pink and blue sprinkles, but on the inside the color of the cake was pink.

"Mmm, strawberry," Tony said as he sat up in his seat and dug into his slice eagerly. After chocolate cake, strawberry was Tony's second favorite and if it had frosting and sprinkles, even better.

"So any names picked out?" Pepper asked the couple who kind of froze and turned to look at each other with wide eyes. "I'll take that as a no."

"Well now that we know it's a girl, Peter is out of the question, but Penny isn't!" Peter exclaims and Fenrir scoffs playfully and rolls his eyes.

"We are not naming our baby after you," Bucky informs his son who pouts and Tony and Sleipnir giggle at their older brother. "And no, Tony, we are not naming her Astrid or Ariel."

"Poop," Tony mumbled and laughter sounded around the table. "Antonia!"

"...No," Loki hesitated a bit, only cause he liked the way Antonia sounded, but then it wouldn't be fair to name the baby after one kid.

Luckily, only Bucky caught his pause and gave the mage a questioning look that went ignored. He filed the name for later and then proceeded to tell Loki's kids the story of how Loki earned himself the nickname Sparkles.

When the evening came to an end when Peter and Fenrir headed off to bed and Tony and Sleipnir fell asleep on Thor and Steve. Loki himself was pretty exhausted and it wasn't even ten. Bucky managed to pick up both children and then lead the way up to their floor with Hela and Jormungand bringing up the rear.

"Alright kids, don't go to bed too late," Bucky warns Hela and Jormungand who stay in the living room to watch a movie.

"No worries, old man!" Jormungand calls back and Bucky sighs while Loki sends his boyfriend an amused look.

"Six kids and I get no respect," Bucky mumbled as he entered Tony and Sleipnir's room.

"But we love you, father," Sleipnir mumbles as he blinks up tiredly at his dad who smiles down at him with a large smile.

"And I love you kids, too," Bucky replies as he kisses the seven year old's head. "So much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good news!! metal man/point break has an official title now and it's going to be called Overjoyed because it's one of my all time favorite songs by Matchbox 20 and the lyrics are beautiful so yeah. First chapter will be up next week Monday tho
> 
> also i admit to not working on either of my stories since Monday because I have spent all day yesterday and today watching Disney+ so yikes


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That's creepy, mommy," Tony finally says with his nose scrunched up and looking at Loki's stomach like he was expecting to see the baby crawl out. "I don't like it." And with that, Tony ran off to his room and the two adults were left laughing.

"...and then because I was super upset, Alex kissed my cheek to try and make me feel better," Tony told his baby sister in between giggles, his cheeks flushed at the memory and a palm pressed to Loki's bare stomach as the mage read a book one night in March, attempting to hide an amused smile at her child's story.

"I heard kissing. What did I say, Bambi?" Bucky asks as he enters the master bedroom and despite what he hears coming from the five year old, smiles at the scene in front of him. "You've gotta be at least thirty before you can even think about having a boyfriend or girlfriend."

Tony had, as of recently, taken to talking to his baby sister every night before bed. He saw his papa do it once and then his mama had proceeded to explain that even though the baby was still really tiny, the baby could still hear them talking and it would eventually help with recognizing them once she was born. And because Tony loves his baby sister and wants to be her favorite, takes advantage of the fact that usually he's the only kid at home these days.

"Papa, you're silly," Tony says with a large grin as he sits up and Loki chuckles at her two boys as she sets her book aside as Bucky joins them on the bed, laying down on his stomach and pressing a quick kiss to Loki's stomach.

"You hear that princess? Your brother thinks I'm silly," Bucky coos at the mage's stomach.

"Are you not?" Loki questions playfully and Tony bursts into loud giggles as Bucky playfully glared at his girlfriend who brings a hand up to play with Tony's curls.

"Bully."

Loki merely shrugged and continued playing with Tony's hair which was starting to get a little long again despite Steve having taken him for a haircut about two weeks ago.

"I believe it is time for bed, Anthony, so start saying your goodnight to the baby," Loki informs the child who pouts.

"Night baby, I love you soooo much," Tony says as he leans down to press a kiss to the bump, gasping when he felt a slight nudge and then stares up at his mommy with wide eyes.

"Seems like baby wants to say goodnight as well."

"The baby kicked?" Bucky asked in surprise as he stares between his girlfriend and the nearly six year old who was looking a mix between surprised and freaked out though he was starting to look more freaked out by the second.

"Yes. She's kicking again," Loki says as she grabs Bucky's hand and places it in the same place where Tony had kissed it and sure enough, Bucky felt a little nudge against his hand.

"That's creepy, mommy," Tony finally says with his nose scrunched up and looking at Loki's stomach like he was expecting to see the baby crawl out. "I don't like it." And with that, Tony ran off to his room and the two adults were left laughing.

"I'll go tuck him in," Bucky says as he pecks Loki's lips and then heads off after Tony while Loki meanwhile gets under the covers after pulling her shirt down to cover her stomach.

Loki's already half asleep by the time Bucky returns and he settles against her side.

"We need to start working on the nursery, doll," Bucky informs her, his hand on her stomach where their baby girl was still kicking. "Time's starting to move quicker and she'll be here before you know it."

"I know," she mumbles tiredly. "We can start tomorrow."

*

Tony enters his classroom with a big smile after having said goodbye to his Uncle Steve who'd been the one to drop him off at school. Alex and Alana are already at their table so Tony quickly heads over to his seat next to Alex who smiles at him.

"How was your weekend, Tony?" Alana asked him with a smile as she grabbed her pink glittery pencil case out of her backpack and places it on their table.

"Had lots of fun! Peter let me use his web shooters since he wasn't going out on patrol and-"

"Why do you lie so much, Barnes?" Another kid asks and Tony looks up to find Mikey, the same kid who'd become Teddy's friend in daycare, standing there with a frown on his face. "I don't know why your friends believe that Spider-Man is your brother.

"I'm not lying!" Tony shouts angrily, watching Lizzy heading their way with a scowl on her face.

"Tony's not lying! Spider-Man is too his brother!" Alex jumps to Tony's defense. "We've seen him and he's our friend."

Mikey laughs and Tony frowns. Ever since the world found out that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, kids at school either took Tony for a liar every time he said Peter was his brother or brushed him off like it was crazy. And because Peter had been so busy lately with school and decathlon practice and being Spider-Man that he was living with May and no longer at the tower so that meant that Peter couldn't drop him off in the mornings with either of their parents.

"And you're just jealous 'cause Tony lives with all the Avengers," Alana tells Mikey with a huff as she crosses her arms across her chest and glares at the blonde kid.

"The Avengers suck," Mikey concludes before he's tackled to the ground by Lizzy who sits on him and starts throwing punches while yelling at him for accusing Tony of being a liar.

"Lizzy! Stop!" Tony shouts at his best friend, trying to get her off of Mikey who's shouting for help, the other kids just standing around watching, giggling and cheering them on.

"What is going on her?" Their teacher asks as she heads over to them with a scowl on her face. "Elizabeth! Michael!"

"Oops," Lizzy mumbles at the use of her full name before scrambling off of Mikey who's sitting on the ground crying. "He started it! He called Tony a liar!"

"I didn't!" Mikey shouted as he stood up and wiped his tears away with the back of his sleeve. "I don't think that Spider-Man is his brother."

"He is too!" Tony shouts, really upset that people thought he was lying about his own family. "Peter's my big brother."

"But his last name is Parker and yours is Barnes."

"He is too my brother," Tony whispers, tears now leaking from his eyes and Alex wraps his arms around the five year old while glaring at Mikey.

"Mikey, we've talked about the different kinds of families, just because Tony and his brother don't share the same last name doesn't mean they're not siblings," their teacher explained to Mikey who huffed and glared at Tony. "And starting fights with your classmates over something you don't believe in doesn't make it alright. Now, apologize to Tony and then you and Lizzy apologize to each other, but one more outburst like this and I'm sending you two to the office, are we clear?"

"Clear," both Mikey and Lizzy mumbled before they did as they were told.

Tony was upset for the rest of the day. He didn't like being called a liar, it made him feel like he did something wrong even though he wasn't really lying. Peter was his brother because family didn't have to be blood related, his parents had taught him. Sometimes you just found your own family along the way and that's what had happened to Tony. At first he didn't have anyone when he woke up on that dirty street, but now he had a mama, papa, siblings and a whole bunch of uncles and aunts and a Grandpa Fury!

Upon leaving his classroom, Tony finds his mommy waiting for him with the twins mom, both deep in a conversation. His mommy has a hand on her bump where the baby is probably kicking, so Tony rushes over and wraps his arms around her, burying his face where his baby sister is growing.

"Hi darling, how was your day?" Loki asked him as she stroked his hair.

"Mommy!" Tony cried, tears rolling down his cheeks as he lifted his head to stare up at his mother who looked down at him in concern.

"Anthony, what is wrong? Did something happen?"

"Mikey called him a liar," Alex explained as he held his mother's hand, Alana standing on her other side and leaning into her as she watched her best friend. "Said that Spider-Man isn't Tony's brother just 'cause they don't have the same last name."

"Oh."

"Yeah! But then Lizzy jumped in and started hitting Mikey!" Alana chimed in excitedly, toning it down when her mother glared down at her and Loki bit back a smile.

"Our teacher told Mikey that just because you don't have the same last name doesn't mean you're not related."

"Well she is right, but thank you kids for sticking up for Anthony," Loki tells the twins who smile up at her and then wave goodbye to Tony as Loki takes leads them out of the building. "Alright darling, can you tell me why you are so upset? I know Michael made a very invalid comment, but you know you should not take comments like that to heart."

"I jus' miss Peter," Tony replies in between hiccups, his Brooklyn accent slipping out and making Loki smile down fondly at him. "An' I don't like it when people call me a liar 'cause it doesn't make me feel good even though I am tellin' the truth!"

Loki smiled down at her child knowing very well how awful it felt when someone accused you of lying when you weren't. And well for Loki who's known as the God/Goddess of Mischief and Lies, it happens often.

"I know, baby boy," Loki says as she helps him get in the backseat of the car and helps him strap in his seat. "Listen, I know it gets frustrating and it upsets you that Michael is calling you a liar, but as long as you know that it is true, it should not matter what others think. There will always be people who will doubt and not believe in you, but as long as you believe in yourself and you know what the truth is, ignore them." Loki cups Tony's face in her hands and kisses his forehead. "Don't let him get to you, baby boy."

Tony nods and closes his eyes as his mommy wipes away his tears and kisses his forehead one last time before getting in the car and driving them home.

At home, Tony pouts when he gets told that his papa is out on a mission with Aunt Nat, Clint and Sam, but his Uncle Steve greets him on the communal floor with a big hug and a snack.

"You alright, mo stoirín?" Steve asks when he notices the red rimmed eyes and his slightly down expression.

"Just Mikey being mean again," Tony replies as he buries his face into Steve's neck.

Steve looks up at Loki with a questioning look and the mage explains the situation, "Michael thinks that Anthony is lying when he says that Spider-Man is his brother."

"Ah, well Mikey's just jealous cause you've got a super awesome family, kiddo. Don't listen to him."

"My mommy says that there will always be people like that, but that I shouldn't listen to them as long as I know it's true," Tony tells Steve as he pulls away to look at the blonde.

"Well your mom is right and smart, so always listen to her and not your father."

"Hey! Stop givin' my child bad advice, Rogers," comes Bucky's voice from the area of the elevators and Tony gasps excitedly while Loki laughs.

"Well Steve is right, James," Loki informs her boyfriend teasingly and Steve snorts at the glare Bucky sends their way as he picks up Tony and holds him tight.

"Do you see this kid? They're bullying me."

"Leave my papa alone," Tony playfully scolds his mom and uncle who both laugh and Tony dissolves into giggles as well as he hugs his papa. "Missed you lots!"

"Yeah? But ya saw me this morning before ya went to school."

"I know, but I still missed you."

Bucky smiles and kisses the top of Tony's head.

*

"Come on, darling, bedtime," Loki calls as she walks into the living room where a freshly showered Tony was sitting on the couch curled up into Bucky's side and watching PJ Masks.

"But mommy, I wanna keep watching my show," Tony complains but gets off the couch anyways, hugging his papa goodnight before following his mommy up the stairs to his room.

"Yet you are following me."

"Cause you won't let me stay if I argue with you," Tony states as he climbs on his bed and hugs Gerald tight as he gets under the covers. "I wanna say goodnight to baby."

"Okay," Loki replies with a smile as she sits on the bed and shifts so Tony can have access to her bump.

"Goodnight baby, hope you have sweet dreams and are good to mommy," Tony tells his sister as he places his palms on the bump. "I love you 3000, forever and always." Tony leans down to kiss the spot where he feels a kick and smiles up at Loki who's looking at him questioningly.

"3000? Why 3000, darling?" Loki wonders as she brings the blankets up to her child's shoulders.

"Cause I can only count up to 3000 and it's a very big number." Tony states with a grin and Loki chuckles. "I love you lots too, don't worry."

"Hmm, thank you darling."

"And I love papa lots, too, but not 3000."

Loki laughs again and kisses her son's forehead, listening to his babbling as it gets more and more slurred before he's completely out. FRIDAY turns off the lights, leaving just the nightlight on and Loki leaves the room and heads to the master bedroom to get ready for bed herself.

"He out?" Bucky asks as he walks in a few minutes later and shuts the door behind him.

"Yes. He said that he loves the baby 3000 and he loves me lots too and you, but not as much as he loves the baby," Loki informs Bucky who clutched his chest in mock hurt.

"That little brat." Bucky smiles fondly. "Speaking of baby, we need a name. We can't keep calling her baby even after she's born."

"I know, but I really do not have any names in mind," Loki replies honestly.

"You seemed to have liked Antonia when Bambi suggested we name her after him," Bucky reminds her as they get under the covers.

"It sounds nice, but I would not want the other kids to feel left out or something. Perhaps we could name her after your mother," Loki suggests as she cuddles into Bucky who wraps both arms around her. "Or one of your sisters."

"You would do that? But what about your ma?"

"My mother isn't dead, James, and we see her often. Naming baby after your mother would be honoring her memory and making sure our kids remember their other grandmother."

"I like that, thank you, doll," Bucky whispers, voice choked up as he buries his face into Loki's hair. "I love you a lot, you know that right?"

"I do and I love you a lot as well, Barnes."

*

The next day, when Tony heads off to school and Loki to work with Pepper, Bucky drags Steve along with him to a car dealership.

"Why couldn't you bring Loki?" Steve wonders as they walk around looking at the cars.

"Because he would probably stab me. He hates these places," Bucky replies and Steve makes a 'sounds about right' face.

"So what exactly are you looking for? Tony's got a ton of cars in his garage, you know?"

"I do, but none of them are family friendly. And the one we use already has Tony's booster seat and can't fit a car seat next to it," Bucky explained in a bit of exasperation.

"Well with the amount of kids you guys have, you'll either need to buy a limousine or a bus," Steve jokes and Bucky rolls his eyes. "A school bus."

"You're not funny, Rogers. You fucking troll."

Steve laughed and followed his best friend towards the SUV section.

Meanwhile at SI offices, Loki was walking towards Pepper's office with a few papers the CEO needed to sign. Upon entering her office, Loki frowned a little when she saw not only Pepper, but also Natasha and Wanda sitting at the small round table in a corner of Pepper's office.

"Um, is this a bad time?" Loki asks with a raised eyebrow. At least Wanda had the decency to look guilty, but the other two had impeccable poker faces.

"No no! Come in, Loki. We were just discussing the next press conference for the Avengers," Pepper lies and Loki wants to shake her head because did they forget who she is? Hello, goddess of lies is in the room.

"Okay, if you say so," Loki replies as she walks forward and hands Pepper the papers. "I just need these signed so I can fax them back to the Paris offices."

"Oh right!"

Once Pepper signs the papers, Loki smiles at the three and takes her leave, suspicious but not enough to figure it out. When Loki walks into her office, she's surprised to find Peter, Hela and Fenrir sitting there waiting for her.

"Why are you not in school?" Loki asks her spider teen who gives her a sheepish look.

"Uh cause I got suspended for the day?" Peter said though it came out sounding like he was asking her and Loki just gave him the look that had Hela and Fenrir snickering beside their brother. "Okay, but in my defense, Flash started it."

Loki sighed and sat in her chair behind her desk, settling her hands on her bump and starting at all three of her children.

"I'm just here to visit," Fenrir explained with a shrug, kicking his feet up on the desk. "Heard some snotty brat was calling my baby brother a liar."

"How did you find out?"

"I have my ways." Fenrir shrugged and Hela giggled.

"Aunt Tasha requested my help with something," Hela says and Loki nods, guessing it had something to do with whatever the three women were planning that Loki would rather not know about. "Oh and grandmother sends her greetings, says they might come and visit soon."

"Well that is unusual."

"So can we go get the baby from school?" Fenrir asked his mother who shook her head.

"He can only leave with a parents permission and neither James or I are available to go do so. I have a meeting to attend with Pepper in ten minutes and James is out with Steve on a mission or something," Loki explains as she starts searching through the things on her desk for everything she would need in the meeting.

"Oh! No problem with that. Grandmother has been helping me with my shapeshifting and I believe I can get either your or father down pretty well," Hela explains with a large smile and the other two boys start pleading their mom to let them go get Tony from school.

"And what, if I may know, are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"Clint's taking us to Coney Island!" Peter says excitedly, jumping in his seat and Loki sighs.

"Sure, reward bad behavior," she mumbles under her breath. "Alright, But behave and do not give the archer such a hard time and make sure he does not get lost."

All three cheer and thank their mother before racing off. Pepper walks in afterwards, chuckling and shaking her head.

"What was all that about?" The CEO asked.

"Clint is taking them to Coney Island and I made them promise to look after Barton."

Pepper laughs and the two head down to the conference room.

*

"Hello, how may I help you?" The receptionist at Tony's school asks "Loki".

"I'm here to sign Anthony Barnes out. He has a dentist appointment that I had completely forgotten about," "Loki" well it was really Hela, explained with a slight chuckle that has the receptionist laughing along and waving her off.

"Oh it fine, dear. I know what pregnancy does to the brain. Here, just sign him out and I will call his teacher-"

"Actually, can I go get him? I haven't seen my brother in a week and I want to give him the surprise," Peter asks the nice lady who coos and agrees. "I'll be back!"

Peter heads off to Tony's class, leaving Hela and Fenrir in the office. The kindergarten section of the school is small and decorated in bright colors and numbers and letters all over. Outside of Tony's class, each students pictures are placed on flowers and Peter thinks it's cute.

Peter knocks on the classroom door and waits until the teacher opens it, smiling at her.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" The teacher asks him with a bright smile.

"I'm here for Tony, our mom's signing him out but I decided to come and surprise him," Peter explains and the teacher nods in understanding, stepping aside to let Peter in.

"Tony, you've got a visitor," the teacher calls out and Peter watches Tony's head snap over in their direction and the teen grins as his little brother gasps excitedly before racing out of his seat and over to him.

"Peter!" Tony shouts as he jumps into his big brother's arms.

"Hi spider-baby," Peter greets him as he holds his brother tight and kisses his head a few times, looking around the classroom subtly to find this Mikey kid. He spots him when he sees his wife eyed expression and Lizzy smiling smugly at the kid. "You ready to go? Fenrir and Hela are waiting for us."

"Yes!"

Peter sets the kid down and watches him run off to quickly pack up his things before racing back to his side.

"Have a good rest of your day, Tony," the teacher tells the five year old who thanks her before taking Peter's hand and letting the teen lead him through the maze of halls to get to the main office.

"Where are we going? Are mommy and papa here?" Tony asks.

"Nope. Clint's taking us to Coney Island," Peter informs Tony who starts jumping in place. "Mom and pops aren't coming since they're busy with work, but we'll see them in the afternoon."

Once in the office, Tony goes off to hug Fenrir who picks him up and hugs him tight. Tony simply stares at their sister in complete confusion wondering why she looks so much like their mom. Well even more than usual because Hela pretty much was the exact copy of Lady Loki.

Once out of the school, Hela drops the illusion and picks up Tony who cuddles into his older sister. Clint waves them over from his car and they walk over to the archer who grins.

"You guys ready for a fun day with Uncle Clint?!" The blonde archer asked the children who all started to cheer. "Well let's get going then!"

*

"Why did Barton kidnap my children?" Bucky asked as he and Steve walked into Loki's office where the mage was typing up an email, just barely glancing up at her visitors. "Specifically, why are we rewarding Peter for getting suspended from school?"

"I brought food," Steve says with a shrug as he lifts up the bags with their lunch and smiles at Loki.

"First, hello to you too, my dear boyfriend," Loki replies sarcastically as she turns to look at the two soldiers, Steve handing her her bag of food. "Thank you Steven, you are such a dear."

"Anytime, Sparkles. Anyways, if you guys will excuse me, I've got some ladies to visit," Steve tells them and waves as he walks out, leaving behind the couple who looked about seconds away from arguing. Which lately it wasn't anything unusual.

"Look, Peter said that Flash started it and May already called and explained what happened. Technically Peter reacted in self defense," Loki tells her boyfriend as she pulls out the French fries from her favorite diner.

"Loki," Bucky says with a sigh and the mage shakes her head.

"Look, if you want to argue over our children, at least wait until I get home. I still have a lot of things to take care off before I go maternity leave next month."

"I'm sorry, I know you've had a lot of work lately." Bucky walls over to Loki and bends down to kiss her forehead. "How's your day been?"

"It has been a long morning. Pepper, Natasha and Wanda are planning something that required Hela to come visit and for my parents to want to come as well."

"That's not scary at all."

Loki laughed and continued her email while eating.

~

"What is this?" Loki asked Bucky as they stood in the garage where all of Tony's cars were parked, staring at a black colored SUV. "Did you purchase this?"

"Uh possibly? I mean, we need the extra space," Bucky explains. "We can fit Tony's booster seat and the baby's car seat and still have room for Peter and the other four kids. It seats eight people, the best I could do without buying a school bus like Steve suggested. Besides, Pete heads off for college in like two years and the other four come and go as they please."

"Well, I guess this solves one problem. You did a good job," Loki gives in as she leans over to kiss him softly, Bucky smiling into it and putting his hands on her hips.

"What do you say and we break it in?" Bucky mumbles against her lips.

Loki didn't get a chance to reply since the sound of another car heading their way made them break apart. They both looked over to see Clint parking his car next to theirs, the kids all getting out and chattering excitedly. It was obvious they were all hyped on sugar and Tony had a blue balloon tied to his wrist and was holding a stuffed unicorn.

"Wow, you've gotten big," Fenrir comments once he can really sees his mother instead of her sitting behind her desk.

Loki glared at him and flicks her fingers in his direction, the other kids not even batting an eye when their brother suddenly sprouts a pair of dog ears. Fenrir just shrugs, Bucky sighs and Clint looks spooked.

"Hmm, Mean and Spooky is getting meanier and spookier," the archer mumbles as he touches one of Fenrir's dog ears. "Anyways, I brought your kids safe and sound and all stuffed with junk food."

"Thank you, Clint," Bucky tells his friend who nods and heads off inside the building.

"Hi! Hi! Hi!" Tony greets his mommy, papa and the baby with a large borderline manic grin. "Look! I got a unicorn! Fenrir got him for me." Tony showed them his white unicorn with a rainbow horn and pink tail.

"Did he win it in a game?" Bucky asked as he eyes the giant thing.

"You wish," comes Fenrir's reply and both parents sigh. "We tried, we really did but you know how corrupt those games are? They make it so you pay often and lose at least ninety-nine percent of the time. Of course I was going to take it and go. What my bubba wants, my bubba gets."

Tony simply grins up at his older brother and Peter and Hela chuckle, still eating popcorn from their trip.

"Let's head inside, just because you two skipped school today it does not mean that you get a free day from doing homework," Loki warns Peter and Tony who immediately begin to whine but they all head inside.

"Maybe later," Bucky says as he stares at their SUV longingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm going to start working crazy hours (yay holidays) I want to ask you guys two things, please be patient with updates and if you'd like to suggest a prompt for this story, please do. I'm having a bit of a hard time writing lately and maybe some fresh ideas could help and it would be cool if I could make this story hit triple digits :)
> 
> And I'm so glad you guys are liking the Thor/Tony story !! In case you weren't aware, the story is out now with slow updates (again, yay holidays) and believe it or not I'm already planning Book 5 (yikes)
> 
> so yeah, prompts for this story are welcomed and appreciated


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your parents are weird," Steve tells Tony who's resting his head on Steve's shoulder.
> 
> "Tell me about it," Tony replies with a roll of his eyes that has them all laughing.

"That is the wrong color," Loki states as he stares down at the paint color with a scowl, ignoring the groan coming from Bucky. "Do you know nothing about colors?"

"Yeah papa!" Tony says, very obviously siding with his mother despite not knowing the difference between the pink his papa had brought and the pink his mama had wanted. To him they were just pink.

"Doll, it's just a color and it looks about the same to me," Bucky tells Loki who shakes his head and glares at him.

"Do you want this room to be perfect or not? That is not the color I picked."

Bucky sighs but has FRIDAY order the paint this time. He had gone out to the store to buy said paint, but apparently that had been a mistake because he was an idiot who couldn't tell the difference between all the different shades of pink. And Tony was just being a little shit, he knew because to the kid, his mother could never be wrong.

"Uncle Steve!" Tony greets the blonde super soldier who walks into the room, the five year old running up to him and Steve gladly picked up the child and kissed his cheeks.

"I feel like I just walked into a battlefield," Steve comments as he sees Bucky and Loki's irritated expressions.

"I bought the wrong paint color," Bucky explains tiredly, sending his boyfriend a small glare to which Loki retaliated with the coldest meanest look he could muster.

"Um..." Steve really had no idea what to say as he shifted Tony to rest on his right hip, looking at the little boy who gave him a shrug though even he looked completely done by this situation.

"I asked for one specific color, Barnes, one," Loki scolds his boyfriend bites his lip to keep from arguing. "This is why I told you to have FRIDAY order it in the first place."

"But hey, on the bright side, we got a shoppin' experience together." Loki just kept glaring at him and Steve and Tony shared secret giggles at Bucky's frightened expression. He went from irritated to scared in the snap of a finger. "Okay okay, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you and just like always, you're right and I'm wrong and I'll sleep on the couch tonight if it'll make you feel better."

Loki smiled at that and reached over with an outstretched hand that Bucky took and they shook on it.

"Your parents are weird," Steve tells Tony who's resting his head on Steve's shoulder.

"Tell me about it," Tony replies with a roll of his eyes that has them all laughing.

They try doing the nursery the next day when the correct paint arrives and Loki's satisfied by the color this time though Bucky keeps seeing no difference. The rest of the kids show up as well to help paint the room while the rest of the Avengers were out on a mission.

"So which one is going pink again?" Peter asks as he looks at all the walls with a frown, brush in hand and wearing an old shirt and jeans.

"This one right here," Loki points to one wall as he helps Tony fasten the overalls he was wearing, the little boy having gone to the bathroom before starting. "The rest go in that light shade of gray your father is attempting to open."

"Hey!" Bucky shouts indignantly as he looks up from the paint he was trying to open with no luck.

"Adorable," Hela comments in between giggles as she helps her father out by using magic to open the lid.

"Thanks sweetheart, you're my new favorite," Bucky tells his daughter who smiles wide. "The rest of you are bullies."

"Love you too, old man!" Fenrir shouts as he gives Bucky two thumbs up and Loki rolls his eyes fondly. "Alright, let's get this party started!"

"Do not waste the paint by throwing it at each other," Loki warned his children with a glare.

"Mother," Jormungand says in mock hurt. "We would never."

Loki gives them a look that has Tony giggling. Loki turns his back for one second, but it's all the time his children need because Hela shrieks, Jormungand and Fenrir snicker and the other three boys gasp and 'ooh' in the 'you're in trouble' sort of way. Loki takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes as he counts down from five before turning around to face his children who had started an all out paint war. Bucky was watching them wide eyes, seemingly frozen to his spot.

"Enough!" Loki shouts angrily and they all turn to look at him, covered in pink and gray paint and that seems to snap Bucky out of his trance.

"Grounded, every single one of you for the rest of the week and the one who threw the first paint, two weeks," Bucky informs the kids who all whine and complain about the unfair punishment and yadda yadda yadda. "Your mother warned you, so now march your butts into the showers and try not to get it everywhere. If you do, clean it up."

All six kids left the room mumbling and leaving a trail of paint to which made Loki sigh in annoyance. Bucky gave his boyfriend a sheepish look and Loki just chuckled.

"Guess I'll have FRIDAY order more paint and we can try this tomorrow again," Bucky tells Loki who nods. "Third time's the charm, right?"

Wrong.

The new paint was already in the nursery waiting to be used along with new brushes and all that, but as it would happen, Loki woke up feeling not so great.

"I can have FRIDAY call Bruce up," Bucky suggests as he helps his girlfriend up from the bathroom floor, flushing the toilet for her and helping her to the sick where she brushes her teeth.

"No, I will be fine. Just woke up feeling more tired than usual," Loki explains once she's done brushing her teeth and Bucky helps her back to their bed where she gets back under the covers, a hand on her stomach. "Baby apparently did not like something I ate yesterday." She jokes lightly.

Bucky sits down next to her and wraps an arm around Loki's shoulders, pulling her into his side. Loki rests her head on his shoulder, letting out a small sigh and Bucky kisses the top of her head.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Bruce? Or have Thor go to Asgard to bring back one of your healers or something?" Bucky asked again.

"I will be fine, but you should take the kids out. Let them enjoy their Sunday."

"Don't wanna leave you alone though," Bucky mumbles into Loki's hair, closing his eyes and kind of just wanting to go back to sleep.

"The others are home so it is not like I will be completely alone."

"Mommy!" Tony whines as he walks into the room sniffling and a little pale.

"Are you okay, Bambi?" Bucky asks as he pulls away from Loki and pulls Tony up to sit on his lap.

"Feel icky!"

"Well what's wrong?"

"My tummy hurts." Tony was just about able to get out before he threw up over the side of the bed and both Bucky and Loki shared a look.

"I didn't think you could catch regular bugs, Lo," Bucky comments as he rubs Tony's back as the child coughed.

"Might be from something Thor brought back from Asgard," Loki comments. Thor had returned from Asgard last night and had brought back various treats. Tony could be sick because he wasn't used to eating things from Asgard and Loki because the baby probably didn't find it too appealing.

"Well then I guess you two will be staying in bed today," Bucky announces as he lets Tony get under the covers and cuddle into his mother.

"Dad! Peter threw up in the kitchen!" They hear Fenrir shout from down the hall and Bucky sighs, having already anticipated this since Peter had eaten the most Asgardian candy.

"Coming!"

"FRIDAY, can you tell Bruce what's goin' on?" Bucky asks the AI as he gets out of bed, stepping around Tony's puke. "And get the bots to come clean this up, please."

"On it Sergeant!" FRIDAY replies happily.

"I'll send Peter in here in a bit so Bruce can check up on you guys."

"Sorry you are stuck looking after us," Loki tells her boyfriend as she adjusts herself so Tony can rest his head on her bump, whispering to the baby who was kicking up a storm, probably upset with what Loki had eaten the night before.

"Hey, you guys are my family, I'm always going to look after you guys," Bucky replies softly, a smile on his face that had Loki feeling less guilty as she relaxed against the pillows and started to play with Tony's hair.

It's a few minutes later when Peter walks into the room still in his pajamas and looking as pale as Tony. Loki coos at her spider teen and pats the other side of the bed where Peter gladly joins his mother and brother. Bruce and Bucky walk in after, once the bots have cleaned Tony's puke and Peter's gone off to throw up in the bathroom.

"This is going to be a long day," Bucky mumbles and Bruce snorts in agreement as he goes over to check on Tony first.

*

The fourth time they try, the villain of the week decides to attack Miami and Hope and Scott get called in as well. It's an all hands on deck type of situation and Loki wishes she could have gone to help, but her boyfriend and Peter went along. Unfortunately there was no talking Peter out of helping, but Steve had promised Loki to keep Peter in evacuating civilians from the area.

Things take a turn for the worst when FRIDAY informs Loki that she's lost Peter and Karen can't be reached.

"James, what is going on?" Loki asked her boyfriend in a demanding tone, trying to mask her fear at not knowing where her child is.

"We all got separated," comes his reply, though not very clear since it was all static and distorted most of his words. "I ran into Nat, but the rest are still MIA."

"James," she choked on a sob, feeling helpless and useless from where she sat in the living room of their floor. It was moments like these where she hated being pregnant.

"I know doll, I know. I'll find Pete and everything will be okay, I promise. Just try to relax for me, alright? Deep breaths, baby. Nat and I will keep you updated and don't tell the kids anythin' until we know more."

"Alright," she says softly and the call disconnects without either of them saying anything else.

"Mom? What is going on?" Hela asks softly as she sits next to Loki who was trying to stop her tears from flowing with no success. "And do not lie to me. You may be the Goddess of Lies but you cannot lie to me."

"Your brother is missing," Loki tells Hela whose eyes widen. "He disobeyed Steve's orders and went after one of the bad guys on his own but now the whole team got separated and James is with Natasha but they cannot find the others."

"I-I could go help father."

"No, Hela, it is too dangerous. I am sure that your father and Natasha will contact SHIELD and they will send agents to help."

"Do you believe your own lie?"

"No," Loki responds after a few long seconds of silence. "Do not inform your brothers of this because Fenrir and Jormungand will want to go."

Hela nods and sighs though she was wondering how much trouble she'd be in if she sneaked out of the tower to go find her brother. She couldn't though. Couldn't make her mother go through more stress and risk something happening to her or her baby sister.

It takes another six hours before Bucky gets into contact again. By then the rest of the kids are aware of the situation because it was only a matter of time before they found out and Fenrir had walked in when Loki had been asking FRIDAY if she had any news. It'd taken Loki nearly passing out for Fenrir and Jormungand to not head out in search of their brother.

"James, please tell me you have good news," Loki pleads her boyfriend.

"We found them, Lo. Pete's a little banged up-"

"How much is a little?"

"-and we should be there in like ten minutes-ish."

"James!"

"A few broken ribs, possible concussion and internal bleeding. We have Dr Cho preppin' surgery as we speak," Bucky explained reluctantly and Loki fought so hard to keep from breaking down. She could hear the kids rushing down the stairs. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep the kid safe."

"He is going to be sorry for disobeying orders," Loki gets out in between a wet chuckle, wiping the on coming tears with the back of her hand. "Just, get here quick."

"No worries. Love you."

"Love you too," Loki whispers before the line gets cut off again and looks up when the the older kids walk in, Sleipnir and Tony being asleep in their room with some help from Hela.

"Did they find him?" Fenrir asks as he sits next to their mother.

"They are on their way back but your brother will be heading into surgery," Loki explains shakily as she wraps her arms around her bump where the baby was kicking up a storm. "Helen is getting things ready in medical and I need to get into contact with May."

"I will call her," Hela speaks up and then heads off to make the call with FRIDAY's help.

*

Peter's still in medical two days after his surgery, his own healing being slow going from all the extensive injuries he had, but at least he was awake and joking around again though he was grounded. Not only had May grounded him for the foreseeable future, but Loki and Bucky had also grounded their kid.

Things were stressful though and Loki felt like it was getting to be too much. Tony was being clingy and refused to part from Peter's side, often times ending in tears when they tried getting him to leave.

"So does this mean I only have to serve one sentence?" Peter asks hopefully as he stares between his aunt and parents, Fenrir snorting from where he sat by the window and playing on the Nintendo Switch he'd confiscated off of Clint earlier.

"Nice try, brat," Bucky grunts. "Once you get out of this room, you will be grounded for two weeks. So you go to school and straight back. No hangin' out with friends afterwards and certainly no video games. Any chores we ask you to do, you do them."

"And after you serve your two weeks here, you will serve another two weeks at the apartment. Same rules apply," May informs her nephew who pouts and Fenrir doesn't even bother holding back his snickers.

"That's what you get big bro," he calls out and ignores the glare his mom sends him.

"You're gonna have too much fun with this and I already hate you," Peter tells the other teen who shrugs though he's got a devious smile on his face. "I'm sorry for not listening, but he was getting away and-"

"And nothing, Peter. You inform someone instead of going off on your own like that," Loki scolded him. "This is why your father and I keep telling you that you are not ready to head out with the rest of the team because you do not listen to the orders you are given and each time you do not listen, you come back like this."

"This isn't fair! It's like you guys don't even trust me or think me capable of doing things right!" Peter shouts angrily and all three adults refrain from rolling their eyes.

"We trust you and we know you are excellent at what you do, but you simply do not follow orders, Peter. If you want to be on the team, that is the first thing you need to learn how to do."

"But he would have gotten away and hurt more people!"

"You're fifteen, kid-"

"I'm not a kid and certainly not yours so stop telling me what to and not to do! You aren't my real family so stop acting like you are and stop sticking your nose in my business!"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop about twenty degrees and Fenrir's game stopped making sounds as he turned to glare at his brother. Loki's face went completely blank to mask the hurt she was feeling inside as she stared at the teenager on the bed.

May was shaking her head, clearly disappointed in Peter's choice of words and Bucky's hands were clenching and unclenching in his anger.

"And you're not an official member of the Avengers so stop sticking your damn nose in the team's business," Bucky speaks coldly, ignoring the flinch Peter failed miserably at hiding. Things with Peter had never escalated this far and it was clear that no one even knew how to handle this anymore and words were being thrown out with the intention to hurt.

"You are right. You are not our kid and I apologize for having treated you as if you were my child for so long," Loki begins to say in a monotone voice, "and you are technically still a child who apparently never learned to follow directions or work in a team."

"You want to be an Avenger? Try again in three years when you turn eighteen."

"Fine. Then I will see you again in three years," Peter informs the couple, speaking before thinking and immediately regretting it as soon as he registered what he said and saw the heartbreak cross his parents eyes. Well guess they weren't his parents anymore.

"Then we shall cross paths again in three years, Mr Parker," Loki says before exiting the room without another word.

Bucky didn't say anything and instead walked out after his girlfriend. Fenrir stood up from his seat and left the room with a final glare thrown Peter's way.

"Oh Peter," May says softly as she stares at her nephew sadly.

"I want to go home," Peter mumbles, but even though he loved May, home was no longer at their apartment. Home was with the family he'd just pushed away because he was so angry at not only himself for what happened during the mission, but also at them for not seeing what he was capable of doing as an enhanced individual.

Meanwhile Loki stormed down the hall and past the waiting room, walking past Steve, Natasha and Clint who got startled at her hasty retreat.

"What's going on?" Steve asked worriedly as Bucky and Fenrir appeared shortly after, heading towards Loki who waited for the elevator doors to open.

"Fen, what's going on?" Natasha tried asking again, throwing worried glances in Loki's direction.

"Just Parker being a brat over what happened and not wanting to admit that he isn't ready to be an Avenger," Fenrir spat out angrily. He loved his older brother, but boy did he want to punch the teen in the face for hurting his mom and dad.

"I lost another child, James," Loki choked out, her face buried in her boyfriend's chest. "I lost my baby."

"I know doll, but he's just angry and-"

Loki shook her head because even if he didn't mean it, said everything in a fit of rage, there still had to be some truth behind his words. Did he feel like he wasn't part of their family? Did he feel like he had no place with them? Did Loki do a bad job as a parent and the rest would soon follow in his footsteps and leave? She hoped not because she wouldn't be able to handle losing all of them.

*

The next morning Loki's in the baby's nursery trying to figure out which wall she wanted to paint in gray and which ones went pink. The sound of hesitant footsteps reach her ears and she freezes where she's holding up a gray color sample to one wall.

"M-Mom?" Peter calls out quietly as he stands by the door, arms wrapped around himself and eyes red and puffy.

"I thought you had already left," Loki replies coldly as she holds up the pink paint sample next before shaking her head and making up her mind.

"Um no, but uh, I just-" Loki closed her eyes at the choked out sob Peter let out and sighed.

Loki set the paint sample down on the small table Bucky had brought in awhile ago when they were going to paint the room. She then turned around to face Peter and opened her arms where the teen quickly crossed the room and crashed into her arms.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" He cried into her shoulder, feeling her arms wrap tightly around him as best she could, his baby sister squished between them and kicking like crazy. "I was just so mad and- and..."

"Shh darling, I know you were upset," Loki says understandingly as she rubs his back, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You need to realize that you are fifteen and only have a year of experience in this while the rest of us have had a few years, decades and centuries. Your father and Steve fought in World War 2, Peter, there is a reason why they are the leaders of the team. They know how to make their moves."

"I-I know and I guess I just try too hard because I want to make you and pops and Tony proud."

"But you already do, baby. Every day you remind me of the great person that you are shaping out to be and how incredibly smart and kind you are. And well, what can I say about Anthony? Your brother looks up to you and he already looks at you like you are his brightest star in the whole galaxy. Do not ever think that we are not proud of you because we are, Peter Parker, you hear me?" Loki pulls away a bit from the hug to be able to cup her child's face in her hands and give him a soft reassuring smile. "So stop trying to impress us by going out with the big guys, my little guy. You will have your chance, but for now, you still have a lot of growing to do."

Peter nods and sniffles, smiling back at his mother who leaned up to kiss his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long week and I had no inspiration (or time for that matter) to write, so please forgive me. I had this done on Saturday but as I was editing last night, I went ahead and changed the ending completely.
> 
> To my fellow Americans, hope you all had a lovely and safe Thanksgiving, I certainly ate too much and now I am feeling the consequences of it


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hmm? Oh yes, just Peter and I had a talk and as you can see, it wore him out," Loki tries to laugh it off as she stares down at her teen who was practically dead to the world. "You should get him to his room."

Awhile later, Loki sits on the couch in the living room with Peter fast asleep and his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his tangled hair. Her face felt uncomfortable with the dried tear tracks and her heart a little heavy after having quite an emotional chat with her son.

Peter had apologized for what he'd said in medical and for always trying to be part of the bigger missions even when he knew he wasn't ready. Loki had held her child as he'd cried and stumbled his way through his apology, reassuring him that she still loved him and always would no matter what.

Peter was just feeling a little neglected, Loki came to realize when they'd moved to sit on the couch and he'd immediately curled up into her with a hand on her belly and stroking the area where his sister was kicking. And it's not like she has a favorite child because she loves them all equally and they all irritate her equally (some more than others), but she supposes since having the others visiting often and getting pregnant, she hasn't spent as much time with Peter as before and maybe his wanting to go out with the team all the time is a product of him just wanting attention.

And now as she sits there with his head on her lap, she can't help but to feel like maybe she _is_ failing as a parent.

"Lo?" Bucky calls softly and Loki's startled to find her boyfriend kneeling in front of her with one of his hands on her knee and the other on Peter's hair. "What's wrong, doll? Everythin' alright?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, just Peter and I had a talk and as you can see, it wore him out," Loki tries to laugh it off as she stares down at her teen who was practically dead to the world. "You should get him to his room."

"I will, but we're gonna talk after."

Loki sighs in resignation and Bucky stands up while carefully lifting Peter up from the couch and then takes him up the stairs to his room. As she waits, Loki moves on the couch to settle with her back against the armrest and her legs stretched out on the rest of the couch and pulls the blanket resting on the back over her legs. Loki looks up when Bucky walks into the room and she smiles, but it falls flat and she wonders when it became so hard to lie. Especially to the ones she loves.

"What's up? Why do you look like someone let Brownie out and lost her?" Bucky asks as he sits on the couch with her legs over his lap and she scowls. "We all know you love the dog no matter how much you complain."

"Lies," Loki says and rolls her eyes while Bucky laughs and shakes his head.

"No but seriously, what's wrong?"

"He apologized for what he said the other day," Loki begins to say as she stares down at her hands which are resting on her bump, "he is really upset. And he agrees that he is not ready to be an Avenger, so I told him that his time would come." Bucky nods in understanding. "I am a bad mother, James."

"What? No! What the hell are you talkin' about, Loki?" Bucky asked a little angrily as he moved his body to face Loki who was frowning down at her lap.

"I believe Peter just wants to not feel ignored," Loki eventually says as she looks up to look at Bucky. "With my pregnancy, the other children coming more often and Anthony still being so young, I believe he feels like maybe I am not there for him as often as the others. Him being stubborn and joining you guys on missions is just him wanting to feel appreciated. Needed, perhaps."

Bucky sighs and reaches over to grab Loki's hands.

"First of all, don't ever say you're a bad mother because you're not. If it weren't for you, I'd really have no idea what to do more than half of the time. Tones would probably be spoiled rotten, swearin' left and right and carrying a pocket knife everywhere with him," Bucky says and he smiles at the chuckle he pulls out of his girlfriend. "Second, if that's the case, than I haven't been a much better father to him, either. I'm out on missions more often than usual and I haven't been around as much. Peter's still just a kid, Lo, and I guess we tend to forget that because of all the great stuff he does as Spider-Man out there, but he's also just Peter Parker and he's our kid who still plays with LEGO sets and likes Disney movies and to cuddle."

"I know." Loki sighs as she squeezed Bucky's hands lightly. "Where are the kids?"

"With Steve and Thor. Fen's still mad at Peter so we might need to keep them apart tonight and Tony's a little... sentimental. He's been crying all day."

"For what reasons?"

"He can probably feel the tension. He's been clinging to Thor all day and avoids Fen like he's got the plague."

Loki let out a sigh and shook her head. It was bound to be a long day then, but she was infinitely glad that her brother would be taking the brunt end of it.

"How are you today?" Bucky asks as he shifts on the couch until he's laying between Loki and the back of the couch, nuzzling his head into her neck and earning giggles from his beard tickling her.

"Tried working on the nursery, but I could not find the actual motivation to start. The baby has been kicking all day, only settling down when Peter was talking to her."

"Hmm, what a lovely baby." Bucky smiles as he places his head on the bump and closes his eyes.

Later that day, Loki's in the kitchen preparing dinner when the elevator doors open and Thor steps out with Tony hanging from his left arm and Sleipnir from his right and giggling like crazy which makes Loki sigh. Jormungand and Fenrir step off after their uncle talking about something as they all step into the kitchen.

"Hi mommy!" The younger two kids greet her excitedly and she glared at her brother for feeding them too much sugar. Thor simply gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged as he set the children down.

"Where is Hela?" Loki asks as she goes back to cooking, stirring the pasta occasionally before chopping up some tomatoes to make homemade sauce.

"Said she wanted to spend the night with Natasha," Thor explains as he takes a seat at the island, but not before offering Loki help which she declined.

"Where's dad?" Fenrir asked as he sat next to his uncle, the younger two kids running off with Brownie and Jormungand headed after them to keep an eye on his baby siblings.

"With Sam and Peter down in the gym, doing a bit of training with your brother."

"Oh." Was all Fenrir said before he left the kitchen, a small scowl on his face that Loki didn't miss.

"How are things with Peter?" Thor asks his sister carefully, Bucky having explained to him and Steve what had happened that same day of the fight as the three got drunk on Asgardian mead.

"Better. We had a conversation earlier and things are okay now."

Well okay between her, Peter and Bucky because Fenrir headed down to the gym area where Bucky and Sam had gone off to the locker rooms but Peter was still running on the treadmill.

"We need to talk," Fenrir informs his brother in a serious tone, arms crossed against his chest as Peter's running came to a stop.

"Um okay?" Peter replies completely confused as he grabs his towel and water bottle from where they were resting. "About what?"

"Look, Parker, you ever say that shit again to my mom and I swear you won't want to know what I am capable of doing. She's gone through enough shit in her life to have you spewing this kind of shit on her. It's not her problem that you are a child trying to play with the grown ups," Fenrir warned him, hands glowing a dark green in anger. "And be glad that Tony wasn't in the room or you would be a pancake on the ground right now."

Fenrir stood there for about a whole minute, watching Peter look down at the ground clearly ashamed of his words before he looked back up with red teary eyes that had him softening just a tiny bit. His hands stopped glowing and if it weren't because Peter was sweating, Fenrir would step up to pull his brother into a hug.

"I-I know I did wrong and I already apologized to mom earlier and pops afterwards and I want to do the same with you," Peter says softly, not able to hold eye contact for long. "I-I'm s-sorry for what I said and for hurting mom like that."

And Fenrir should have seen this coming, but he didn't and know a very sweaty and smelly Peter Parker was hugging him and crying apologies onto his shoulder.

"Uh there there?" Fenrir tried to comfort his brother awkwardly, waving one hand to get the spider teen all fresh and clean which he didn't even notice. "Ugh I really dislike this hugging thing but I will let it slide this time. You have been warned Parker and I do not give second chances."

Peter simply nodded and continued to sniffle which really made Fenrir uncomfortable. Everyone in his family was so damn affectionate and though it was a nice feeling, he just didn't like it. It wasn't him and he wasn't about to pretend that hugging made him comfortable. It didn't. It made him squirmy and too hot and he felt trapped. But because he was a good brother, he allowed it from his siblings and very occasionally from his mother who was way more sentimental this time around.

"Sorry," Peter mumbles abashed by his actions and Fenrir waves him off like it was nothing.

"Now come on, mom's making pasta for dinner and the younger two kids are hyped on sugar."

Peter giggles as he follows after Fenrir.

They're joined by Thor for dinner that evening so it's extra loud and messy around the table. Tony and Sleipnir are still bouncing in their seats from their sugar high and they make a bigger mess of their food than usual. Thor laughs and beams proudly at his nephews for their latest prank against Clint while Loki is proud on the inside. She is a prankster and of course her children have taken after her, but she can't indulge them in every prank they make.

"Should we be worried they pranked the archer again?" Bucky asks his girlfriend who shrugs her shoulders.

"But perhaps be on the look out," Loki warns him and Bucky pouts as he takes a sip of his wine.

After dinner, Peter and Fenrir help their mother with the dirty dishes and putting the leftovers away while Thor headed back to his floor and Bucky settled an argument between the other three kids on what movie to watch tonight.

"Everything alright between you two?" Loki asks her sons as she hands them another container with leftover pasta. Loki had to learn to cook for a whole army since moving into the tower, and family dinners like tonight's were no exception.

"Yep! We had a nice chat earlier, right Parker?" Fenrir asks his older brother who nods with a grin as he closes the refrigerator.

"Right! I must say that Fenrir does not know how to give hugs, mom," Peter tells Loki teasingly and the mage turns to smirk at her other son whose eyes widen and he starts to shake his head.

"Is that so?" Loki hums and before Fenrir can get away, her arms are wrapping around him in a tight embrace that he tries to squirm out of for a few seconds before giving in and sighing.

Peter rushes out of the kitchen laughing and joins the others who are still arguing over what movie to watch.

He loves his family. His big crazy family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ever since the Black Widow trailer came out, i've been thinking about introducing Natasha's Russian family to the story (side eye emoji)
> 
> we needed some Peter love this chapter


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The fuck are you saying to my brother?! You want to repeat that?!" Comes Fenrir's angry voice as he approaches them and Peter's eyes widen when he sees an equally mad Hela a few steps behind her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was requested by margiere

"Hey, Penis Parker!" Flash shouted, making Peter grimace as he shoved his books in his locker, ready to leave school and head home after a long and tiring day.

It was Friday, and for the first time in nearly two months, he didn't have to worry about a big project, decathlon practice after school, studying for a test or even homework. So he was going to take advantage of the fact that they had no classes on Monday and head to the tower to spend time with his family since the rest of his siblings were currently home. He wasn't even going to worry about going on patrol tonight. All he wanted were cuddles from his spider baby, beat his pops at video games and stay up all night with Fenrir to watch scary movies.

The last thing Peter wanted was to confront Flash before the start of a (hopefully) great weekend.

"Not now, Flash," Peter mumbled as he shut his locker and began to head towards the exit with the other teenager following after and calling him every insult possible.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get home, Penis? It's not like you have parents waiting for you," Flash continues to taunt him and Peter has try hard to not stop in his tracks and go punch Flash because he was seriously getting on his nerves.

"The fuck are you saying to my brother?! You want to repeat that?!" Comes Fenrir's angry voice as he approaches them and Peter's eyes widen when he sees an equally mad Hela a few steps behind her brother.

"Who are you?" Flash questions the two teens who stand protectively in front of Peter, Hela kissing his cheek in greeting before glaring at Flash. And boy was she just as scary as their mom when she was mad. Well, all of Loki's kids were scary when mad, even Sleipnir.

"Peter is our brother and he is not alone. Never has been and never will be," Hela says calmly, voice sending shivers down Peter's back. "We know you are the one who has been bothering our brother for awhile now, this is the only time we are asking you nicely to quit doing so because otherwise you will not like to see what we are capable of doing for the ones we love."

"Who the fuck do you think you are to threaten me like this? I'll sue you!" Flash shouted angrily, catching the attention of the few students left.

"We'd like to see you try, asshole. Our parents have a team of lawyers ready to step up," Fenrir stated with a smirk. "Now leave our brother alone before we call in the long line of Avengers who would like to have a few words with you, Flash Thompson."

Peter shouldn't have taken joy in the way Flash paled quite a few shades, but he did. He smirked and covered his chuckles with the sleeve of his jacket. Flash ran off and Hela turned around to face her younger brother before pulling him into a hug.

"Are you alright, Peter?" She asks him, pulling away and searching his face for any injuries.

"I'm fine, seriously and uh thanks for sticking up for me like that," says Peter as he rubs the back of his neck, not used to having anyone else other than MJ stick up for him like that.

"Of course we'd stick up for you, Parker, you're our brother!" Fenrir exclaims with a huff as he wraps an arm around Peter's shoulders and the three begin to walk towards the car where Happy was not so happily waiting for them. "We stick together, spider brat."

"Ugh, not you too," Peter complained and Hela laughed as she reached over to ruffle his hair.

"Hurry up you runts, we've got places to go," Happy informs them and all three kids snicker.

"We love you too, Happy," Fenrir tells the driver with an innocent smile on his face while Happy glares at the teen, clearly not amused.

"Where are we going?" Peter asks as the three settle in the backseat of the car and Happy starts to drive them away from the school.

"Your mother asked me to pick up some churros," Happy grumbled and Peter nodded in understanding.

Bucky had gone off on a mission last night with nearly the whole team and well, Loki's been craving churros recently so without Bucky at home to go and get them from the shop that she likes, her options were pretty limited right now as to who she could send.

"So how long has that asshole been bothering you?" Fenrir asks his brother, ignoring Happy's half assed attempt at scolding him.

Peter shrugged, not wanting to tell his siblings that Flash has been bothering him since he entered Midtown. But he also cound't lie to them. These kids could sniff out lies from a mile away and he might have Loki as a parent now, but Peter still was a terrible liar.

"Peter," Hela urges her brother on.

"Yeah, he's kinda been bothering me since my very first day at the school," Peter admits and Hela places a hand on his knee and gives him a comforting squeeze. "It-It doesn't bother me anymore. I mean, at first it did but I've just kinda grown used to it, I guess."

"Well it bothers me because no freak is going to be calling my baby brother after male genitalia," Fenrir says with a huff and Hela lets out a small squeak at his choice of words and up in the front, Happy coughs.

"Um I thought you were _my_ baby brother?" Is what Peter asks and Hela sighs beside him.

"You oaf, technically, I've been alive much longer than you, dad and Tony, both adult and kid version, combined. Way more. So therefore technically you kind of are my little brother."

Peter rolled his eyes but didn't argue with his brother, who honestly felt more like his twin than anything.

"Alright, which one of you runts is gonna go get your mother's churros?" Happy asks when he parks in front of Loki's favorite place to get churros. It was a small local Mexican bakery in Queens that was owned by a widowed lady in her late sixties who had been helped by Spider-Man on more than one occasion. She always gave him free bread, usually churros and conchas, which is how Loki had come to love the churros from this place and this place only.

"Pete can go, Mrs Hernandez loves him and maybe she'll give him the bread for free," Fenrir spoke up quickly as he leaned back in the seat and relaxed.

"Lazy," Peter mumbled before getting out of the car and heading inside the warm and cozy bakery that smelled of fresh baked bread and coffee.

"Mijo! What a lovely surprise!" Mrs Hernandez exclaimed as she walked out from behind the counter and hurried over to the teen who smiled and accepted the hug from her. "What brings you by today, mijo? Tu madre tiene antojos?" _("Your mother's got cravings?")_

"Si. Churros is all she wants now and pops isn't home so guess we're the next best delivery guys," Peter tells her with a slight roll of his eyes and she laughs before moving over towards the section where the churros were.

"Well, tell your mom that we'll always have churros for her, all fresh and warm."

"Will do."

Mrs Hernandez gives him three paper lunch bags filled with churros and a box with conchas and other yummy pastries. Despite her insisting though, Peter does pay for everything and then wishes her a good rest of her day before heading back out where Hela helps him with the stuff.

When they get home, they find Tony, Sleipnir and Jormungand playing a board game in the living room while Loki sits in her armchair reading a parenting book.

"Churros!" Tony cries out excitedly as he drops the fake money he'd been holding and rushes up to his older siblings. "I want churros!"

"After dinner, darling, you will ruin your appetite," Loki says as she walks over to her older kids. "Thank you kids for making the run."

"No problem. You know Mrs Hernandez has a soft spot for us," Peter replies with a shrug.

"Also, Happy keeps calling us runts," Fenrir tattles as he walks over to where his other two siblings were still seated and waiting patiently for Tony to return.

"I want a churro." Tony pouts as he watches their mom take the bags to the kitchen. "I am sad. Disappointed but not surprised."

Peter and Hela giggled as they followed him to the living room.

"Have you ever told our parents about that Flash kid?" Fenrir asked Peter as they watched the younger kids keep playing their game.

"No. Especially not now. I don't want to worry mom with this," Peter admits quietly. "The others know because Clint's got a big mouth and the one time he went to pick me up from school overheard Flash calling me Penis Parker."

"And if mom knew, well lets just say he'd like to disappear in a flash."

Jormungand snorts at his brother's pun and Peter has to hold back the chuckle that threatens to escape.

"You're not funny, you know?" Sleipnir informs Fenrir who turns to glare at the kid who smiles back innocently.

"Oh, but I am hilarious, little brother. You just don't appreciate my humor yet. You are far too young still."

Sleipnir only scowled but ignored Fenrir in favor of the game which Tony ended up winning a few minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it's short, but at least it's an update.
> 
> patiently waiting for next friday for a new The Mandalorian because after chapter 7's ending, holy fucking shit my poor wrinkly baby😭😭


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You woke me up at nearly three am just because you're hungry?" And Bucky swears he didn't mean for it to come out sounding so angry, but he's tired and it really wasn't his intention to make Loki feel bad.

"James," Loki called as she shook her boyfriend awake with a slight frown, her hands on her bump and rubbing soothing circles where the baby was kicking.

"Wha'?" Bucky mumbled as he struggled to open his eyes, but then sitting up quickly and looking at Loki with wide eyes. "What's wrong? Is it the baby? Are you hurt? Oh my gosh don't tell me it's time!"

Loki rolled her eyes fondly and said, "No, nothing is wrong. Your daughter wants a cheeseburger and onion rings."

Bucky sat there staring at Loki like she'd suddenly grown another head and it would have been comical had Loki not been seven months pregnant and suddenly really hungry for a cheeseburger and onion rings. Oh and a strawberry milkshake.

"You woke me up at- FRIDAY, time?"

"It is currently 2:43 am, Sergeant Barnes," FRIDAY replies, sounding a little amused.

"You woke me up at nearly three am just because you're hungry?" And Bucky swears he didn't mean for it to come out sounding so angry, but he's tired and it really wasn't his intention to make Loki feel bad.

"No, you are right and I apologize," Loki says with a small sniffle as she gets out of bed and goes over to grab her robe from the arm chair in the corner of the room, shrugging it on and tying it around her waist. "Go back to sleep and I will make sure to not bother you again with my needs."

Bucky lets out a tired groan as Loki leaves the room and he tugs at his hair in frustration. Dealing with a non pregnant Loki was sometimes difficult because the mage could be real mystery some days, but dealing with a pregnant Loki was like a thousand times more difficult and Bucky almost would rather be fighting the Red Skull than deal with her unstable mood swings.

"Lo, doll, I'm sorry," Bucky says as he chases after her, barely acknowledging one of the other bedroom doors opening.

"Go back to sleep, I will go get what I want myself," Loki snapped angrily and when Bucky finally caught up to her, he noticed that she was now fully dressed in black skinny jeans and a hoodie that wasn't even his. He's pretty sure he saw Thor wearing it a few times, but he's not even surprised because everyone's wore everyone's clothes at some point or another since things always get mixed up in the laundry.

"Wait, where's mom going?" Peter asked tiredly as he joined them by the elevators in his pink Hello Kitty pajamas and a white t-shirt that Bucky lost ages ago. Well, at least now he knows where it ended up.

"Your sister's hungry, darling, so I am going out to get what I am craving at the moment," Loki responds in a much softer tone as she smiles over at Peter and Bucky momentarily forgets that she's upset with him because all traces of her anger is completely gone from her face and body language.

"Oh... um... I can go with you!" Peter offered quickly, noticing the tension between his parents and not wanting his mother to go out on her own. "Let me just get my shoes and-"

"No need, darling. It is late and I would rather you go back to sleep. It might be the weekend, but a growing boy needs to sleep a lot."

"I really don't mind, besides, I'm kinda hungry myself." Peter shrugged and grinned when Loki agreed and he ran off.

"Lo, seriously, I'm sorry. Let me go and get the food for you and Pete," Bucky tries even though he knows that Loki is stubborn, even more so than usual, when upset.

"Just go back to bed, I will see you in the morning." Which loosely translated to _'I will be sleeping somewhere else when I get back'_ so Bucky just gave up for now. At least he felt comforted that Loki would be heading out with Peter.

The teenager returned wearing sweatpants and a different shirt and shoes. He grinned at Bucky who ruffled his hair and watched the two of them go.

"Papa?" Comes Tony's tired voice once he reaches the second floor and begins to head back to his room.

"Hi Bambi, why are you up?" Bucky asks quietly as to not disturb the other kids before picking up the child who cuddles into him and yawns big and wide.

"Where mommy an' Petey goin'?" Tony asks, more asleep than awake as he wraps his little arms around his father's neck.

"They got a bit hungry so they are headed out to eat," Bucky explained as he began to walk back to Tony and Sleipnir's room, halting when the child shook his head. "You wanna stay with me? Keep me company?"

"Please."

"Alright, kid."

*

"So why are you and pops fighting this time?" Peter asks curiously as they rode the elevator down to the communal floor because Loki had forgotten her phone there last night.

"Just me making things bigger than they need to be," Loki explained vaguely as she shrugged.

"Does it have to do with why we're going out to eat at three am?"

"Yes. I guess I finally tired your father with sending him out at three am for food." Loki gave a watery chuckle and Peter began to panic a bit because if his mom cried well then he'd start crying too.

"But like, shouldn't he be more considerate? I mean, you are like pregnant with his child."

Loki smiled fondly at her teen and cupped his face and said, "You will be an excellent boyfriend someday."

"Mom!" He whined, cheeks bright red in embarrassment and Loki laughed genuinely as they stepped off the elevator, surprised to find Thor wide awake and sitting alone at the kitchen island.

"Thor, what are you doing up so late?" Loki asked her brother with a slight hint of concern in her tone that wouldn't have been there awhile ago. Peter was secretly glad that the two siblings had patched things up now and were as close as he was with his own siblings.

"Oh uh, just going through a heartbreak, no big deal," Thor replies with what he probably intended to say casually but it came out sounding sad and depressing. "Where are you two headed so late?"

"Out for burgers. We were both a little hungry," Peter explained, unused to seeing the big blonde so down.

"Would you like to join us?" Loki asks Thor.

Thor perked up at that and instantly said yes so once Loki had grabbed her phone, the three headed out towards the nearest twenty four hour diner.

The diner was nearly empty at that time of night. Just two college aged kids with their laptops out and papers spread all over the table occupied a booth near the back.

Between the three of them, they order enough food to feed the whole team and don't leave until nearly sunrise. By then, Thor's in much better spirits despite having just been dumped by Jane (again) and Loki's more than ready to head back home and rest for a bit before the rest of the kids wake up.

Peter's just surprised the two siblings managed to spend time together without Loki threatening to stab Thor at least once.

Once on their floor, Peter heads off to his room to catch a few more zzz's and Loki heads into the guest room on the first floor, too tired to make the trip of the stairs. She's just taken off her shirt and is in the process of removing her pants when Bucky walks in looking apologetic as he closes and locks the door behind him.

"I'm really sorry, Lo. I-I didn't mean for it to sound like that. You're already doin' so much an' the least I can do is be supportive an' understandin' of you," he begins to say and well, Loki can't ever stay mad at him for more than a few hours. Especially not when he looks like a kicked puppy and seconds away from getting on his knees to keep apologizing.

"How do you plan on making it up to me?" She asks instead because she likes to drag things out instead of accepting his apology.

A look of confusion flickers across his face momentarily before he smirks and walks over to Loki until he's standing in front of her, hands ghosting across her bump and watching as her skin broke out in goosebumps.

"I can think of a few ways," Bucky says in a husky tone as he moves his hands move to unbutton her jeans and pull the zipper down before pulling them down her pale legs.

*

"Anyone seen mom and dad?" Jormungand asks his siblings as he joins them for breakfast that Hela cooked.

Tony is sitting on Peter's lap half asleep and letting the teen feed him while Fenrir sat texting with one hand and eating with the other.

"Uh no idea. Their room was empty when I woke up though FRIDAY says they're still here," Peter replies with a shrug. "Mom and I got home at around six and I saw her head towards the guest room on this floor."

"Wait, where were you?" Fenrir asks as he looks up from his phone.

"We went out to eat with Thor. Jane dumped him and mom was craving a burger so we took a trip down to the diner."

"And you didn't bring me anything? Rude. I officially revoke your twin status, baby bro."

"You're like twelve."

"More like five hundred, but in you mortal years I'm fourteen."

"And minus two, you're twelve!"

"I will go see if mom is awake," Jormungand says with a sigh as he interrupts his siblings bickering.

"I would not head that way if I were you," Hela says with a knowing smirk as she sits at the table with her brothers and takes a sip of her coffee.

"Why?" The older three boys ask while Sleipnir and Tony were busy in la la land.

"Where do you think father is?"

Realization dawns on them and they make disgusted faces.

"Why do you not look so disgusted?" Fenrir asks their sister with narrowed eyes.

"Oh please, boys. Mother is pregnant, did you really think that all they did was hold hands and sleep on opposite ends of the same bed?"

"Can we stop discussing this? I can feel my breakfast coming back up," Peter mumbles as he pushes his plate away.

"You lot are disgusting," Jormungand mumbles with a frown.

It's ten minutes later when their parents make an appearance and the three older boys avoid eye prolonged eye contact. Loki and Bucky have blissed our smiles and they can spot a hickey on their mom's neck which really doesn't help their situation.

"I hate this family," Fenrir mumbles before leaving the room and Tony giggles even though he doesn't understand what's going on or why his siblings all look so traumatized.

"You'll understand once you're older," Bucky informs his kids as he goes straight to the coffee machine.

"I second Fenrir's comment," Jormungand says before standing up and following after his older brother.

"James, stop traumatizing our children," Loki scolds her boyfriend as she greets the remaining ones with kisses to their heads.

"Isn't that part of our job?"

Loki rolls her eyes and makes herself a plate with the leftover food.

*

"Get our parents to stop being disgusting," Fenrir pleads the team as he and Peter join them on the communal floor.

"What'd they do this time?" Natasha asks with amusement clear in her expression.

"More like what didn't they do," Peter mumbles with a shudder as he sits next to Clint on the couch.

"You poor things," Wanda coos at them before she and Natasha giggle.

Loki and Bucky plus the rest of their kids join them a few minutes later, the couple with big smiles on their faces as they whisper to each other about something and Fenrir makes gagging noises.

"I take it they had a fight and made up," Sam guesses as he takes one look at the couple who don't even pay them any mind as they walk to the kitchen.

"Pops got mad last night when mom woke him up asking for food," Peter explains as he pulls a cuddly Tony onto his lap and places kisses all over his face to get him to laugh.

"Petey, stop!" Tony shrieks in between his bouts of laughter.

"Yikes. Surprised Mean and Spooky didn't stab him or something," Clint comments and Steve shakes his head at his best friend's actions. "But since they're all happy and shit, I'm guessing they had quite a make up."

"Naughty," Tony informs Clint as he holds a tiny hand out for the archer who grumbles and hands him a dollar. Tony takes it and cuddles back into his big brother's chest, cheeks flushed after the kiss attack Peter had given him. "You owe me a burger."

"What?! Why?!" Peter exclaimed with wide eyes as he looks down at Tony who's busy watching the tv and playing with dollar Clint gave him.

"Cause you went to eat without me!"

"Yeah Parker!" Fenrir exclaims. "You so owe us a burger for not taking us on a three am burger run."

"Unbelievable."

"I'm hungry," Sleipnir speaks up from where he's cuddled into his Uncle Thor's side.

"You're always hungry," Jormungand mumbles and Sleipnir looked ready to argue when their parents walked in and Loki took the last open seat on the large sectional while Bucky sat on the ground by her feet and next to Sam and Jormungand who instantly leaned into Bucky.

"Jor's being a moody pre teen again," Fenrir comments to his parents, yelping when Jormungand waved his fingers and the hood of Fenrir's sweater was pulled over his head and down to cover his eyes. "And mean."

"Gets that from Mean and Spooky," Clint says with a shrug.

"No fighting," Bucky says as he wraps an arm around Jor who did look every part of a moody pre teen. "And leave your brother alone, he's not havin' a good time lately."

"Is Jor okay?" Tony asks as he climbs off of Peter's lap and sits next to his older brother who's been quiet all day. Well, it wasn't unusual because unlike the rest of his siblings, Jor was the quiet one. "Do ya need cuddles?"

Jormungand cracked a small smile and opened his arms to accept his baby brother's cuddles. Tony grinned and climbed onto his lap and wrapped his thin arms around Jor, putting his ear over his brother's heart and lets the soft thump of his heartbeat lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year everyone !! i am working hard on trying to give you guys frequent updates (especially since my work schedule has finally gone back to normal) but i am also working on book 5 which i want chapter 1 out sometime this month and it's a Stony story (finally lmao)
> 
> yes, i have seen the new star wars now & i feel like i do with endgame. it's a hate/love type of thing. *whispers*finnpoe is canon


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How do you make a baby?" Tony asks suddenly and Loki sighs before pulling away from Bucky and glaring at him while a few of their guests snickered.

"Hi mommy!" Loki hears Tony greet and she looks up from her paperwork to see him standing by the door of her office. Loki didn't work much anymore, but sometimes she made the trip to the offices to help Pepper out when things got a little hectic for the CEO of SI.

"Hello darling, what a lovely surprise," Loki says with a smile as she beckons Tony closer. "Did you come alone?"

"Hela brought me 'cause she was meeting with Auntie Pep," Tony explains as he climbs onto her lap carefully and hugs his mother who smiles and places a kiss to his head.

"Do you know why she was meeting with Pepper?" Loki asks him curiously as she cuddles her little boy close, nostalgic of the fact that he was growing pretty quickly and they would be celebrating yet another birthday next month.

Tony gave a little giggle that hinted that he did in fact know why, but instead he said that he had no idea why so Loki sighed and gave up on knowing. So giving up on that, Loki continued to finish typing up a few emails while Tony talked to the baby.

"Any idea of what you want for your birthday next month, Anthony?" Loki asks as she began to sign out and made the five year old get off her lap.

"A real Gerald?" Tony asked hopefully, giggling into his hands when his mother gave him a look. "Then I don't know."

"Well, you think about it, darling. Now, why don't we go get Hela and go have some lunch?"

"Can we go get Gerald first? Gerald wants to go out for lunch too," Tony insists as he grabs his mother's hand and begins to lead her towards the elevators.

"Alright, darling, but not so fast."

The whole elevator ride up to the communal floor is silent and Tony bounces excitedly next to her which has Loki narrowing her eyes down in suspicion at her youngest.

Something was going on and Tony was just barely able to keep it to himself. But ever since getting together with Bucky, Loki had grown to ignore and wait.

Loki's brought out of her thoughts by the elevator doors opening and Tony rushed off ahead off her while she shook her head fondly and got out after him.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted and Loki froze.

The communal floor was decorated in rose gold and white everything. Rose gold and white balloons, streamers, rose gold tablecloths on the tables and a whole table filled with presents of all shapes and sizes. Loki's never been to a baby shower, but the mage has heard of these Midgardian traditions and she never thought she would be getting one.

"What do ya think?" Bucky asks as he steps towards Loki and pulls her into a hug. "The girls planned this."

"Did you know?" Loki asks into his shoulder.

"Not 'til this mornin' because _somebody_ forgot that I helped make this baby!" Bucky exclaims as hell glares playfully at Natasha, Pepper, Wanda and Hela who all had sheepish expressions but didn't exactly look apologetic.

"How do you make a baby?" Tony asks suddenly and Loki sighs before pulling away from Bucky and glaring at him while a few of their guests snickered.

"That will be your job to explain," Loki informs her boyfriend before going over to greet everyone else who'd gone off to mingle now that Loki has arrived.

"As the future mama, you get to wear this," Wanda says excitedly as she walks up to Loki with a pink sash that says 'Mommy To Be' in gold letters.

"And you get this, father," says Hela as she walks up to Bucky with a ribbon that says Daddy To Be that she pins to her father's shirt.

Bucky simply shrugged before grabbing Loki's hand and dragging her further into the party where Tony, Cassie Lang and Sleipnir were happily playing with Brownie in one corner, Jor sat scowling in a corner of the living room, Peter was on FaceTime with MJ and showing off the party and Darcy ran around taking pictures since she was, at this point, the unofficial PR manager for the Avengers' social media accounts. She kept their Instagram up to date with pictures of the team in their day to day life with a clean and aesthetically pleasing look.

"So, did you like your surprise?" Pepper asks Loki with a smile, the CEO's arm looped through Steve's as the couple smiles at the expecting parents.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Loki replies with a nod. "Though I am glad to finally know what you and my daughter were being so secretive about."

"I gotta admit, I'm also kinda relieved to know ya weren't plannin' on takin' over the world or somethin'," Bucky chimes in only half joking and Steve chuckles at his response.

"Yes, such a relief," Pepper teases. "It was Nat's idea and once we had things planned out, we had to make sure the entire team and the others could be here today. And I hope you two are ready to play some games."

"Hmm, sounds fun," Steve mumbles and Loki smirks as Pepper winks at her.

Bucky definitely doesn't like that.

He really doesn't. He plays games against Steve, Thor, Clint, Rhodey and Scott. They drink from bottles and eat baby food with their eyes blindfolded and having to guess what they were eating. It's no surprise that Steve and Thor end up winning almost every game. They even have a game for the kids that Fenrir ends up winning.

Loki simply sits and watches everything happen with a large smile. Darcy takes pictures and videos of the whole thing and the party was trending within minutes. Bucky and Loki had never made an official statement about their pregnancy, so Loki supposes this was how they were telling the world.

"Alright, time to open presents!" Pepper announces as she makes Loki sit on a chair next to the table that was overflowing with presents. "The biggest one is from me."

"Ahem," Steve coughs out as he gives his girlfriend a pointed look and Pepper rolls her eyes.

"Okay fine, it's from Steve, Nat and I."

Loki laughs as Bucky and Steve pull up the biggest present in front of her. It's wrapped in a light pink wrapping paper with the words 'it's a girl', 'sweet baby' and 'baby' all over and a giant white bow on top. Bucky helps her tear open the wrapping paper.

"Huh, we definitely missed this on our list," Bucky says once he sees the bassinet.

"Thank you," Loki tells Pepper, Steve and Nat.

Carol gave Loki a care package for mom which Loki really appreciated. There was a fluffy robe, cozy slippers, a few lotions, face masks, a small box with different types of teas and a set of fuzzy socks.

"Not everything is about the baby. Mom deserves some love too," Carol explains with a smile.

Clint got the baby a whole bunch of Avengers merch, mostly Hawkeye stuff which made Bucky roll his eyes.

Overall, the still unnamed baby received a lot of dresses, cute jackets, tiny little shoes that made Loki tear up, onesies and footie pajamas and some toys. Thor's present came from Asgard. He got the baby a specially made crib mobile made of gold and with little stars and clouds and a moon.

"Oh Thor," Loki says completely breathless as she holds the mobile delicately and inspects the stars closely which she now realizes that each star has one of the kid's names engraved in cursive. "Thor this is- this is beautiful."

"Yeah man, this is amazing," Bucky tells the god who smiles brightly. "Thank you so much for this, Thor."

"'Tis no problem! I was a bit unsure of what to get my niece and mother suggested I do something more personal," Thor explains. "And what better way than to have all of the children's names and be with their sister every night? Once you get a name for the baby, I shall have the moon engraved with it."

"Oh hey, look! Some stars are blank for more babies!" Clint points out excitedly and Loki and Bucky share a look at that because no they were definitely not planning on having more babies.

"That's so sweet, Thor," Jane tells her boyfriend, ex or whatever the hell they were these days, as she moves to stand next to him and gazes down at the mobile.

"Thank you, brother," Loki says as she looks up at the blonde who smiles back softly and nods his head. Out of everything they'd all gotten for the baby, this was by far her favorite and it already meant so much to her. Each child was on a star and the moon was waiting for her baby girl.

~

Later, once the party ended and Bucky and Loki were finally on their floor with all of the presents in the nursery just waiting to be put away, the couple stood by the crib admiring the mobile now hanging above it.

"Your brother did a great job," Bucky says as he wraps an arm around Loki's waist.

"He really did," Loki agrees with a slight sniffle, feeling a little emotional now that she was in the privacy of her own home.

"You okay?"

Loki nods but doesn't even try to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Bucky just pulls her into his arms and holds her tight, understanding that she was probably feeling overwhelmed by all of this. Hell, he was feeling overwhelmed, still not used to having a family after so long and well for Loki who's always felt unloved by her family, the feeling was probably a lot worse.

"We really need a name, don't we?" Loki jokes after awhile, pulling away and looking up at Bucky with red rimmed eyes and wet cheeks, but even like this, she was still beautiful and Bucky felt very lucky to have her.

"Yes we do or otherwise Tony's gonna keep calling her Geralda," Bucky replies with a roll of his eyes and Loki laughs.

*

"Hi," Tony greets shyly as he stands in front of his best friend for the first time in six months.

They were standing out in the large yard of the X-Mansion, just two days after having received the okay from Professor Xavier about Tony being able to visit.

"Tony!" Teddy cried out happily and he rushed over to wrap his arms around the tiny genius in a tight hug.

Tony gladly clung to Teddy, ignoring the fact that his papa, Logan, Jean and Storm were all sitting in the deck area watching. A few other students were lingering around in the yard, but they were too busy having fun to see the two little boys greeting each other for the first time since everything with Marcos and Maggie.

"I've missed you lots!" Tony tells him once they pull away and sit on a blanket under a tree. "Do you like it here?"

"It's very fun and school isn't too boring. They all help me and are really nice!" Teddy explains as he looks over to where Scott was wandering around. "I do miss my little sister though."

"Do you know where she is?"

Teddy shakes his head and Tony pouts. He would hate to be separated from his siblings and not know where they were. He loved them all and it would break his heart to be in Teddy's shoes. And it would be especially hard to never be able to see his mommy and papa again.

"Guess what?" Tony asks Teddy excitedly, hoping to bring his best friend out of his funk.

"What?"

"I'm gonna be a big brother!"

"Wow! That's so cool! Gonna be a boy or a girl?"

"A girl and my mommy says that baby already loves me a lot, but I know she loves me better than my other siblings."

Teddy giggles at Tony's reply and the little genius grins, glad that he was able to make his friend happy again.

Meanwhile over with the adults, Bucky was keeping an eye out on the two boys and was happy to see the two so carefree.

"And has anything changed in young Anthony?" Xavier asked and Bucky knew he was referring to the experimentation he went through six months ago.

"Nothing as of yet and we really hope it stays this way, though Bruce said we should still keep an eye out on any changes," Bucky replies with a sigh.

"Do you believe Anthony could develop the x-gene later on?" Storm asks the man in the wheelchair whose gaze is on the two boys.

"Might be a matter of time, but I reviewed the notes doctors Banner and Cho sent me and with Theodore having been a success, the x-gene could be dormant in Anthony until something comes along to trigger it."

Logan huffed, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring at nothing. Logan might be all tough on the outside, but he was a real softy when it came to kids, especially Teddy and by extension, Tony. "Is there a way to trigger it?"

"Only time might tell," Xavier replies and Bucky couldn't help but feel that even like this, Tony couldn't catch a break. "I hope to be wrong."

Jean stood up from her seat and headed over towards the boy who waved at her and invited the girl to sit with them.

The drive home was a little long, but Bucky didn't mind seeing as it was just him and Tony today and it's been awhile since it was just the two of them bonding.

"Did you have fun with Teddy today?" Bucky asks the child as he looks at him through the rear view mirror.

"Lots of fun, papa! I'd really missed Teddy," Tony replies with a little giggle and Bucky smiles. "Can we visit him again?"

"I'm sure once school ends we can come visit him more often, Bambi. Did he say how he was doing?"

"He says that classes are fun and that everyone is super nice to him and Jean helps him practice his powers after classes."

"Well that's good."

"Papa?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Do you think Teddy will ever see his sister again?" Tony asks sadly and Bucky lets out a barely audible sigh at the question. "He misses her and he doesn't know where she is."

"I'm not sure, Tones. Teddy's special now and until he can fully control his powers, Professor Xavier doesn't want him to leave the mansion so it might be a long while until he can ever see his little sister again, but I'm sure that someday he will."

"Do you know where she is?"

Bucky hesitates a bit before answering because of course he and Loki made sure that Teddy's little sister was placed with a loving family and they check up on them at least once a month. And he could tell Tony the truth, but then Tony can't really keep a secret and he'll tell Teddy the next time they see each other and Teddy will want to see her.

"Well your mommy and I make sure she's okay when we can, but she's safe, Bambi," Bucky eventually responds and Tony seems satisfied with that answer.

Tony's quiet for a few long minutes and Bucky honestly thought the kid had fallen asleep, but then he says something that nearly caused Bucky to swerve off the road.

"Teddy gave me a ring and said we're gonna get married!"

*

"How was visiting Teddy?" Loki asks once Bucky and Tony step off the elevator and walk over to where she's sitting on the couch with Sleipnir curled into her side half asleep, Peter and Fenrir were playing UNO on the ground, Jor was on his phone and Hela was painting her nails.

"Your son is officially engaged," Bucky mumbles as Tony rushes over to Peter and Fenrir and throws himself at the two who grunt and pretend to fall back with his weight.

"Excuse me?" Peter asks.

"Did we hear right?" Hela asks him in complete confusion, hand frozen halfway to her other hand.

"James? I thought Anthony was visiting Teddy, not going to get betrothed," Loki wonders as she glares at boyfriend who turns to glare at their five year old.

"Teddy gave me a ring and said we're gonna get married when we're older!" Tony explained to his confused family who all immediately begin to shake their heads and protest against the news.

"Nope, not gonna happen! You're my spider baby and I say that you can't get married," Peter says as he holds Tony tightly to himself which only makes the child giggle.

"Is this normal?" Hela wonders in curiosity. "Do Midgardian children get engaged so young?"

"No and Tony, Bambi, what'd I say 'bout you gettin' married?" Bucky asks his youngest who sighs and rolls his eyes dramatically.

"Not 'til I'm forty," Tony mumbles, sounding completely disappointed which made Loki and Bucky smile despite the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so glad you guys are liking Changing Roles and even though it's such a short story, it's been real fun to write. i hope to have chapter 2 up by thursday or friday :)
> 
> also, this won't be the last time the x-men make an appearance in the story...


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony didn't need to see to know that she definitely had weapons on her, but that didn't make him uneasy as he wraps his arms around Nat while never looking away from the new blonde woman.

"We need your help," Tony heard an unfamiliar female voice with a thick Russian accent say.

"And that required you coming all the way here?" Tony hears his Aunt Tasha ask in an irritated voice and Tony inches closer to the edge of the wall to be able to peek.

He couldn't see who his Aunt Tasha was talking to because he was short and furniture blocked his view. All he could really see was his aunt's platinum blonde hair. It'd been a drastic change on the Russian spy and it was a little hard for Tony to get used to it if he was being honest.

"You wouldn't answer my calls, what else was I supposed to do?" The other female sounded angry now and her accent was getting thicker which was making it hard to understand. _"Ever since you decided to become an Avenger, we your family have passed on to be your last thought."_

Now that, Tony could understand. The woman had switched to Russian in her anger and Tony frowned at the mention of a family.

Sighing, Natasha replied with less anger and more guilt in her voice this time. "Where are Alexei and Melina? Did they come with you?"

"Yes, but they're in a safehouse at the moment and we really need your help."

"I can't just leave right now. I'm the only one at home and I am looking after my nephew."

"Nephew?" The other woman asks curiously and Tony decides to make himself known at that exact moment because the curiosity was starting to get the best of him.

"Aunt Tasha!" Tony whined as he walks up to the blonde who turns to look at him with a smile and that's when the tiny genius catches his first look at the new woman.

She was blonde as well and slightly shorter than his Aunt Tasha, but had that same blank expression his aunt sometimes got. The woman was wearing black tight jeans, a white long sleeved shirt and a green vest over it and black combat boots. Tony didn't need to see to know that she definitely had weapons on her, but that didn't make him uneasy as he wraps his arms around Nat while never looking away from the new blonde woman.

"What is it, kotenok?" Natasha asks him gently as she rubs a hand through his hair.

"Thought we were gonna do something fun until my mommy and papa come back?"

"I'm sorry, Tony, got sidetracked by my sister here."

"You have a sister?" Tony asks her completely shocked as he stared up at Natasha who was smiling down fondly at him.

"I am truly hurt that you wouldn't mention your favorite sister, Natalia," the woman speaks up in mock hurt and Tony giggles a little as he looks over at her only to have her wink at him. "Well, since she won't introduce us, I am Yelena Belova."

"I'm Tony, nice to meet you," Tony tells her with a big smile. His papa says it's always good to be polite and Tony just wants to be a good boy for his parents.

"Tony, why don't you go watch some cartoons while I finish talking to Yelena?" Natasha suggests and Tony pouts before nodding and heading off to the living room

"The Loud House, please FRI," Tony tells the AI as he settles on the couch, smiling when Brownie hops up and curls up on his lap with her eyes on the screen.

Tony's busy trying to hear the conversation going on by the elevator instead of watching his show, one hand absentmindedly stroking Brownie's fur. The two voices are nothing but low murmurs, much too hard for his ears to pick up any words. He gives up and instead focuses his attention on the show with a small pout.

It's not everyday that you meet the secret family of your aunt.

"Tony, sweetheart," Natasha says softly and it takes Tony a moment to realize that he's dozed off on the couch.

He blinks his eyes open a few times and notices his Aunt Tasha crouched in front of him and Yelena standing behind her a few feet away with a small barely there smile on her face.

"Aunt Tash? Is mommy home?" Tony asks with a big yawn at the end, voice dipping slightly into his Russian accent which has Yelena looking surprised.

"No, sorry, kotenok." She shakes her head. "I'm sorry for waking you, but we need to go with Yelena for a bit."

"Go where?"

"I need to help my family with something and I need to go make sure that they're okay and since no one else is home, you can't stay alone."

"I can too. FRIDAY can look after me, right FRI?"

"That is true, little boss, however, I must inform you that it would not be ideal," FRIDAY replies, sounding a little apologetic at the end.

"You can keep sleeping in the car if you're still tired, but we need to go," Nat tells him as she stands up and gently removes Brownie from his lap.

"Can I take Brownie, then? She doesn't like to stay home alone."

Natasha was about to protest when Yelena stepped in and gave Tony permission to take his dog.

"Yay! Thank you, Lena!" Tony shouts excitedly as he rushes off to hug her, catching the spy off guard by the action and the nickname. Yelena can't remember the last time someone gave her a nickname that wasn't related to her job and it felt good.

*

The safe house turned out to be a three hour drive away from Manhattan hidden away in between trees and long stretches of land.

It's a two story cabin with a wraparound porch and two rocking chairs out in the front with a small table between the two chairs. A few flower pots were placed along the railing and a single car was parked in the long dusty driveway.

"Come on," Yelena tells them as she gets out of the car and the other two follow, Brownie still in Tony's arms though she was gazing around with interest.

Natasha made sure that Tony walked in front of her so he wouldn't wander off. Yelena knocked on the door three times, paused, and then another three times and they only had to wait a few seconds before it opened and Melina stood there with her dark hair pulled up into a bun and she smiled when she saw Natasha.

"Lovely to see you again, Natalia," Melina greets her, accent as thick as Yelena's, and Natasha nods in greeting. Melina's gaze then drops down to where Tony is and her smile turns soft and gentle. "Oh? And who may this be?"

"I'm Tony and I'm five," Tony introduces himself, holding Brownie to his chest and giggling when she licks his cheek. "This is Brownie."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please, come in."

The three step into the house and Tony sets Brownie down, watching her head off to explore the new place.

"Where is Alexei?" Natasha asks Melina as they head to the kitchen where the older woman sets about preparing tea for them and pours some lemonade for the child.

"Getting fatter," Melina replies with a scowl and Tony giggles as he sits at the table with Natasha who's lips twitch up into a smile.

"They get along better now since the divorce," Yelena explains with a smirk as she helped their mother figure with the teas.

Brownie walks into the room and Melina sets a bowl with water down and the dog immediately goes over to it. Tony sips his lemonade and watches the three Russian females sit with him at the table with their drinks.

"So what do you need help with?" Natasha asks them after awhile.

"A lot of things from our past are starting to catch up to us," Melina explains vaguely as she brings her tea cup up to her lips. "The Red Guardian still has plenty of enemies left."

"Who's the Red Guardian?" Tony asks as he looks up at his Aunt Tasha.

"He is like a Russian version of Captain America," Natasha explains with a smile.

"Yes, little one. Back in his time, when Alexei was in shape, he used to help a lot of Russian people and fought all the bad guys," Melina further explains to Tony and Yelena snickers.

"Are you calling me fat again?" A male voice asks angrily and a tall man walks into the room, more gray and white in his hair and beard and one of his hands comes up to pat at his large belly.

"It's what you are."

"Can we focus? It's a three hour drive back to Manhattan and I need to get Tony home before night falls," Natasha interrupts their bickering.

"Who's the half pint?" Alexei asks and then looks at Natasha. "He yours?"

"Anthony Romanoff, nice to meet you," Tony tells the man, voice slipping into his Russian accent that had Alexei and Melina looking quite surprised.

"Cute, but he's not mine. He's my nephew," Natasha tells him. "Yelena says you need help?"

 _"Straight down to business, shall we, ladies?"_ Alexei asks them in Russian as he takes a seat next to Melina who made a disgusted face.

"I'm not a lady and my papa doesn't like it when grown ups talk business in front of me," Tony interrupts them with a small glare. "Even if you're discussing it in a different language. _I can still understand you._ "

"You are full of surprises, little one," Yelena says fondly and Tony smiles brightly at her.

"Tony's right," Nat cuts in. "Tony, why don't you take Brownie and go play outside for a bit? Just don't go too far and come get us if anything happens, alright?"

Tony nodded and hopped off his seat before calling Brownie and the two rushed off outside. There was a lot of grass for Tony and Brownie to run around in, staying far from the trees and ignoring the little trails that lead further into the forest. He finds a stick and plays fetch with Brownie, giggling as his poor dog stumbles a few times and leaves stick to her fur.

There was a rustle in the trees that made Tony freeze and look up. He brushed it off as the wind, but the noise kept coming from one specific area and he could faintly make out the outline of a tall human. And now Brownie was barking in that direction which confirmed Tony's suspicion that someone, or something, was there.

Tony heard the screen door opening and turned to see Natasha rushing out followed by Yelena and Melina. Alexei came out as well, but a few seconds after Melina had and with a gun.

"Tony? What's going on?" Natasha asks as she approaches her nephew.

"Heard something over there and Brownie started barking," Tony explains as he wraps his arms around his aunt who holds him protectively as the four adults look around the area suspiciously.

"We are not alone," Yelena mumbles as she pulls out a gun and readies it in front of her.

"Tony, if a fight breaks out, I'm going to need you to rush inside and hide somewhere safe and call for backup, you hear me?" Natasha instructs as she hands her phone to the child who nods with wide frightened eyes.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Melina asks the child who shakes his head rather violently.

"He's five, Melina, not a Red Room trainee."

"He's smart," Yelena concludes with a shrug. "I'm sure he'll learn if he needs to. In any case, there's quite a few weapons hidden around the cabin, use them if you need to."

 _"Go inside!"_ Alexei shouts to him in Russian just as men step out from the shadows, quickly surrounding the area and Tony grabs Brownie and runs inside just as Natasha and the other three start to shoot at the men.

Tony's heart is racing in his chest and there's a sort of like energy coursing through his veins as he searches every room in the house for a place to hide. He eventually ran into the laundry room and hid in the closet behind a few boxes with Brownie on his lap and piled a few articles of clothing on him to better hide. He still had his Aunt Nat's phone clutched to his chest, whole body shaking in fear.

He could hear the gunshots and screaming and the sound of glass from the windows breaking which only made him whimper and Brownie curled up closer to him.

Activating the phone, he clicked on his papa's name and called him.

"Nat?" Bucky answered. "Is something wrong with-"

"P-Papa!" Tony cried, closing his eyes as the sound of something exploded was heard in the background.

"Tony? What's wrong, Bambi?"

"W-We n-need help!"

"Is the tower under attack? Tony, what's going on?"

And so Tony explained as best he could, but eventually his papa had to ask FRIDAY to trace back his signal and he promised that the team would be there as quick as they could. His papa hung up and Tony placed the phone down, bringing Brownie up and closing his eyes as the sound of footsteps were heard out in the hall not long after.

The door to the laundry room was thrown open and Tony did his absolute best to keep quite and still as someone entered the room, tossing things aside.

With his eyes closed, Tony had no idea his fingers were starting to glow a bright red color with streaks of gold, but Brownie did and she moved around so much, alarmed, that it alerted their visitor to their whereabouts.

The closet door slides open and Tony jumps as he stares up at the masked man standing in front of him with a large gun pointed in his direction.

"You must be the Avengers' child," the man said. "You weren't our target today, but our boss will be plenty happy to see what else we've caught."

Brownie barked angrily as the man moved forward to grab Tony who began to scream and released a wave of red and gold that sent the man flying across the room and through the wall.

Tony sat frozen to his spot, hands shaking as he looked from the man to his hands and found the little flickers of gold and red to be just as mesmerizing as frightening. It kinda reminded him of Wanda and how when she got upset, her fingers would start to glow or like when his mama and the rest of his siblings were using magic. But how? Would he have to go away now like Teddy? What if he hurt his family?

"No. Come on, Brownie," Tony says shakily as he stands up and grabs his dog before rushing out of the bow destroyed room. "Not gonna hurt anyone anymore."

And so he ran. Ran down the stairs and out the back foot, the sound of fighting still coming from the front of the house and Tony disappeared into the woods.

*

When Bucky gets the call, his heart stops and his blood runs cold. Tony's in trouble, his little Bambi.

He and Loki had decided to go out on a date seeing as Peter, Hela and Fenrir were out with Ned and MJ on an amusement park and the younger two, Jor and Sleipnir were back in Asgard with Thor. Tony had decided to stay with his Aunt Tasha and so the couple had gladly gone out on some much needed time alone before the baby arrived.

Now, Bucky had assembled the other Avengers and his kids while trying to calm down a hysterical Loki who wanted to go with them to get her baby but it was dangerous and Bucky was not going to risk her or the baby getting hurt.

In the end, Hela had to use her magic to put Loki to sleep and the two were left behind in the tower while they all headed to Tony's last known location, wondering why Natasha had taken them there.

The fight is still going when they arrive and Bucky immediately recognizes Yelena amongst the ones fighting with Natasha.

"About time," Natasha hisses at her team.

"Where's Tony?" Peter asked frantically.

"Should be inside," Yelena told him, grunting as she had to move out of the way to avoid getting hit. "We told him to hide in case of a fight."

"Kids, go inside and find Tony," Cap tells Peter and Fenrir who nod and race inside with Fenrir casting a shield to protect them from any flying bullets. "The rest of us, take them all down and trace any stragglers."

"On it!"

By the time the kids come out of the house, the fight has long ended and Sam, Vision, Natasha and Steve are rounding up all the men to take into custody.

"Where's Tony?" Bucky asked his two sons, starting to panic at the lack of a five year old.

"He's not in the house, but the back door was wide open so we're guessing he ran off," Peter explained.

"Though we did find something you might want to take a look at," Fenrir tells him and then leads the way inside.

Bucky follows his son up the stairs and down a hall until they enter what used to be a laundry room, except now there was a large hole in the wall. It looked like someone had been tossed through the wall, but there was no one else in the room aside from Bucky, Fenrir and Peter.

"I can sense leftover magic in the room," Fenrir comments as he moves around to inspect the place. "A buzzing energy coming from the closet and the same coming from that giant hole in the wall."

"We need to find your brother. Quickly," Bucky mumbles before rushing out of the room, down the stairs and out the back door.

"Dad, what's going on?" Fenrir asks as he and Peter chase after their father.

"Xavier said the x-gene could have been dormant in Tony and now I'm guessin' that what happened here triggered it."

"Tony's a mutant now," Peter mumbles in shock. "The experiment actually worked."

"Can you sense anymore energy like the one upstairs?" Bucky asked Fenrir as he eyed all the different paths Tony could have taken.

"It's faint, but it's coming from that way," Fenrir replies after a minute, pointing a finger to the right.

"Alright, you lead then."

Fenrir nodded and headed off into the woods with his father and brother behind.

*

Tony wasn't sure how long or far he'd walked, but his arms were covered in scratches and he'd tripped quite a few times by now. Brownie's white fur was dirty and covered in leaves, sticks and mud. The tears had long since stopped rolling down his cheeks, but his hands still shook and little sparks of red and gold flickered every now and then from the tips of his fingers.

He was cold and scared and wanted his family, to cuddle with them, but he hurt that guy who tried taking him and Tony didn't want to hurt anyone nor did he want to be sent away like Teddy.

"Let's rest, Brownie," Tony tells his dog as he sits on a large rock and sets her down, watching her sniff around but not straying far from Tony's sight.

It was starting to get dark and colder and the forest was starting to get scary with all the shadows and strange noises. He could no longer hear fighting and briefly wonders if everyone's gone and decided to forget about him.

Brownie started to bark suddenly and Tony stood up, alert and fingers glowing frequently as he looked around trying to find what had caught his dog's attention.

"Dad! I found him!" Fenrir shouted and Tony just sat on the ground crying. "Hey, it's okay, bub. You're safe now."

"No!" Tony screamed and it made a wave of energy roll off him and Fenrir brought his hands up to disperse the energy.

"Tony, I need you to calm down, please. I can help you, okay?"

It took awhile, but his crying eventually came to a stop and he opened his eyes to see Fenrir now crouched in front of him and his papa and Petey standing behind his brother. Once calm enough, Fenrir pulled the distraught five year old into his arms and whispered something that made Tony's entire body relax and go limp in his big brother's hold, fingers no longer glowing and the buzzing feeling in his skin long gone. A spell, Tony realized as Fenrir stood up with him in his arms and Brownie trotting beside them.

"Oh, Bambi," Bucky mumbles as he takes the child and holds him tight. "Let's get home, I'm sure your mommy can help ya out, hmm?"

"Wan' mommy," Tony slurred, eyes feeling heavy and struggling to keep them open for long. "Wan' cuddles."

"We'll be with mommy soon, just close your eyes, Bambi," Bucky says softly and places a gentle kiss to the five year old's head. "Let's go home." Is the last thing Tony hears before he falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to give you guys a fluffy chapter before hitting this new wave of angst, but i had a doctor's appointment at the start of the week and i got a vaccine and my arm still hurts like a bitch. it's been like three days and i still have the band-aid😂😂


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki took notice that aside from the team, Natasha's family was also joining them. After the fight yesterday, Steve had offered them to stay at the compound since it was one of the safest places where they could be.

When Tony woke up, he realized that he was laying in his mommy and papa's bed at the New Avengers Facility with his mommy laying next to him and her green eyes staring at him with a worried yet relieved look.

"Hi, my sweet boy," Loki greets him with a soft voice as she brings a hand up to cup her son's face. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Tony mumbles as he moves closer to his mommy and nuzzles his face into her neck, one hand on her bump where his baby sister was quiet for once.

"To be expected, you had a very rough day yesterday, but I just want to tell you that you were very brave and I am so proud of you, darling. I know it was probably scary and you are probably still scared after what happened, but I need you to understand that we are all here for you, baby. That we don't think any differently now because of what happened."

Tony sniffled and felt a tear roll down his cheek. His mommy began to sing softly as she ran her fingers through his hair and Tony was starting to doze off again when he felt the bed dip behind him. The child mustered enough energy to lift his head and look behind him, smiling when he saw his papa laying behind him.

"Hey, kid," Bucky greets him, bringing his metal arm up to wrap around his child. "We'll talk later, alright?"

Tony turned back around to bury his face in his mommy's neck and was quick to fall asleep again.

The next time Tony wakes up, the room is dark save for a small nightlight in the far corner and his mommy and papa are no longer in bed with him, but Peter and Sleipnir are. Fenrir is sleeping at the foot of the bed with Brownie on his chest and Hela on the couch in the small sitting area with Jor curled up in the armchair. It was nice to have all of his siblings with him, but Tony couldn't help but wonder where his parents were.

Getting out of bed carefully, Tony left the room without a noise and headed down the hall and down the stairs where he could hear the sound of a TV playing as background noise and hushed conversations being have.

"Mommy?" Tony calls out as he rubs his right eye, faintly noticing that he was in his pajamas.

"There's my sweet boy," Loki coos as she beckons him closer and he gladly sits next to her on the couch and curls up into her side, ignoring his papa, Uncle Steve, Uncle Thor and Aunt Nat who were also in the living room. "Slept well?"

"Missed you," he says quietly, taking a peek at her and finding that she was smiling down fondly at him even if she looked tired and like she'd been crying. "Are you sad, mommy?"

"No, darling, you know I have been crying a lot recently. Do not worry about it," Loki tells him and Tony shrugs and cuddles back into her, smiling shyly at his family.

"Are you hungry, Tones?" Steve asks the child who shakes his head.

"You should eat somethin', Bambi," Bucky tells him but Tony only whines and clings to his mother.

"I will make sure he eats later," Loki informs Bucky who sighs but drops the subject. "Are your siblings still sleeping?"

Tony nods.

"Darling, I know you probably do not want to talk about what happened, but we need to better understand the situation," Loki tells him after awhile, pushing the child back gently to be able to see him. "Can you tell us what happened in that room after you called your father?"

"A guy walked in and tried to take me and I don't know what I did," Tony explains after awhile, wiggling his fingers around but they no longer glowed. "I got scared and that's when my fingers started to glow red like Wanda's."

"Perhaps fear is what triggers it," Thor concludes.

"A fight or flight response," Natasha mumbles. "He felt that he was in danger, so he unconsciously defended himself without even knowing how."

"What did you feel when it happened?" Bucky asked his son who wrinkled his nose in thought.

"Like something was buzzing."

"Like electricity?" Thor wonders and Tony nods.

"It tickled." Tony frowned and looked back up at everyone with a questioning look. "Are you gonna send me away?"

"What? No, of course not, darling," Loki reassures him as she hugs him tighter to herself. "We might have to go see Professor Xavier for some help, but we are not going to send you away."

"But you did with Teddy," Tony points out, not understanding why the situation was so different.

"Because unlike Teddy," Bucky began to explain as he moved to kneel in front of the child, "his parents had been sent away and he didn't have anyone else to help him understand what was going on. And well you have your mom, your siblings, Wanda and even Doctor Strange."

"But what if you can't help me?"

"If it comes down to that then we can ask the other X-Men for help, but I think we could ask your grandma first before that even happens."

"Your grandmother is who taught me a lot of things about controlling my magic and learning how to use it and she is teaching Sleipnir," Loki reminds her son who nods, looking a little relieved that he had many options before Xavier was brought in.

"Exactly, Bambi. You don't gotta worry 'bout it right now, yeah?" Bucky smiles at him and Tony nods before curling back into his mommy's side.

*

The next morning Loki carries Tony down to breakfast with the entire team, the child clinging to his mother like he has been all night.

"Mean and Spooky is up!" Clint shouts and Loki merely sighs at the nickname as she approaches the table.

Loki took notice that aside from the team, Natasha's family was also joining them. After the fight yesterday, Steve had offered them to stay at the compound since it was one of the safest places where they could be. Loki hadn't met them since she'd been with Tony since Bucky had brought him in, but she didn't like the way the blonde one was looking at her boyfriend.

Bucky gets up from his seat and hurried over to his girlfriend and child with a smile. Tony whined when Bucky tried to take him from the safety and comfort of his mother's arms so Loki went over to sit at the table in the chair Bucky had vacated, unfortunately next to the blonde Russian who apparently didn't like the change.

"You guys want breakfast?" Bucky asks as he kisses the top of Loki's head as she rearranged Tony on her lap.

"Hopefully your son will eat," Loki tells him and Bucky heads off to get them some food.

"Didn't know you had a child, Barnes," says the blonde woman who could hide her disappointment from everyone but Natasha and Loki.

"Oh he's got six of 'em plus one on the way," Clint replies to her with a little smirk and apparently Loki hadn't been the only one to notice her facial expression.

Loki looked over at Clint who winked at her and she gave him a subtle nod in thanks.

"Quite the handful," Melina comments with a smile. "Tony is quite the treasure, can't wait to meet the rest."

"You won't have to wait long," Sam mumbles when they start to hear Peter and Fenrir arguing over something, Hela cursing at them in another language, Sleipnir giggling and Jor's irritated sighs.

The other five kids enter the kitchen pushing and shoving, only stopping when they catch their mother glaring and Bucky shaking his head as he places two plates in front of Loki.

"Uh morning!" Peter greets everyone awkwardly, giving a short jerky wave that has Fenrir snorting as he pushes past his brother.

"Kids, meet Melina, Alexei and Yelena," Bucky tells his children. "These are Hela, Peter, Fenrir, Jor and Sleipnir. You guys briefly met with Peter and Fen yesterday."

"Ah yes, you're the spider kid, right?" Alexei asked Peter who flushed and nodded. "I've seen you on the news, you're a good kid. Great fighter."

"T-Thank you, sir," Peter stutters and Fenrir rolls his eyes as he sits up on the counter next to Clint, both eating cereal from similar bowls.

"Please excuse my awkward excuse of a brother," Fenrir tells the Russian family, earning a few snickers from the team and even Tony giggles through the mouthful of oatmeal he's chewing. "He does not know how to function as a human being."

"You're an ass," Peter mumbles, his face bright red as he walks over to his dad who gladly lets the embarrassed teen hide his face in his chest much to the amusement of everyone else.

"Love you too, twin."

"I could not help but to notice that not all of your children look alike," Yelena comments with a hint of malice in her tone. It was obvious she wanted to start something and Loki suspected that her and Bucky might have had something once upon a time which is why she looked so disappointed that he had a whole family.

Everyone else noticed the way the kids tensed and how Hela and Fenrir were starting to gear up for a fight when Bucky spoke up in a hard and final tone. "They're all my kids, Belova."

Yelena simply held her hands up in surrender and ignored the glare Natasha sent her way.

The room was starting to feel tense and all Loki wanted to do was leave, but she sat through the uncomfortable atmosphere that didn't change even when Fenrir and Clint started joking around and teasing Peter again.

Later that day, Loki's walking out of the library on the second floor of the compound when she bumps into Yelena who looks the mage up and down with a judging expression.

"How'd you do it?" Yelena asks and Loki plays innocent as she leans against a wall with the book she grabbed in her left hand.

"Do what?" She asks.

"Don't play innocent with me. You know what I mean."

"No, I really do not."

"You're not really anybody, how did you manage to catch Barnes' attention?" Yelena asks again with a glare, casually twirling a pocket knife. "Judging by your state I'm guessing you just spread your legs for him once and trapped him with a child."

"Is that what you think? That I am a nobody who purposely got pregnant?" Loki asked her, laughing and shaking her head. "My name is Loki, princess of Asgard and goddess of mischief and lies. You might have heard of my brother Thor, the god of thunder and future king of Asgard."

"Well played," Yelena replies with a hint of awe in her voice and Loki smirks at her before walking away.

*

The rest of April passes in a quick blur. Natasha heads off to Russia with the rest of her family to help them with their problem and no one hears from her until mid May. Tony heads back to therapy and gets diagnosed with separation anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. It's a hard hit for Loki and Bucky who'd wanted nothing more than to give Tony a better second life and began to feel like they'd failed the boy. Tony's therapist then recommended they take family therapy to help with their guilt.

Tony's powers no longer manifested and no one was completely relaxed, knowing that all it would take was another incident where Tony felt scared to unleash them.

Bucky and Loki's first anniversary came and went without them realizing it until Natasha brought it up upon her return.

"How'd you guys spend your first anniversary?" Natasha asked Loki as the two sat at the kitchen table drinking tea late one sleepless night. The baby was kicking like crazy and Loki no longer was able to find a comfortable sleeping position and Natasha had woken up from a nightmare and found the mage wandering the dark and quiet halls of the tower.

"Oh," is all Loki says, face crumpling in utter sadness and Natasha sighed fondly.

"You guys have been so busy you forgot," Natasha states softly as she moves closer to Loki who looks seconds away from crying which these days was pretty much the new normal no matter how weird it was to see her cry in public.

"We started family counseling shortly after you left, sometimes just James, Anthony and I and sometimes some if not the rest of the children will join. Our therapist also recommended for James and I to either see one individually or as a couple," Loki confesses with her head bowed like she was ashamed of admitting it.

"Are you and Barnes having problems?"

"Hard to explain when even I do not understand what is going on. We both feel too guilty about what has happened to Anthony in the last few months that I suppose we have forgotten how to be around each other." Loki's voice is quiet and shaky and Natasha has never seen the mage like this and it's concerning. Loki was being vulnerable in front of someone that wasn't Bucky and it was hard to see. "The family counselor suggested all eight of us go away for at least a weekend before the baby arrives and brings more change into our family."

"What do you think?" Natasha asks her, rubbing Loki's back in comforting circles as the mage starts to sniffle, looking utterly exhausted under the soft lights of the kitchen.

"Could be a good idea." Loki shrugs as she lifts her gaze to look at Natasha. "The baby will be here in about a month, maybe a weekend away will be a great idea. Maybe for Anthony's birthday."

"He doesn't want a party?"

"No. Said he would rather spend the day with just us in our floor."

"Talk to Barnes about it then. Maybe you guys can stay at the compound for a few days," Natasha suggests.

"Perhaps."

They both look up when footsteps approach the area and seconds later, Steve and Bucky appear.

"Been looking for you," Bucky tells Loki, standing by the entrance and staring at the mage like she was just another teammate and not his girlfriend and mother of his children. "Tony's in our room again and he wants you."

Loki sighs and stands up with a slight struggle, thanking Steve quietly when the blonde rushes over to help her up and throwing a subtle glare Bucky's way.

Natasha watches Loki leave the room and Steve kisses the side of his girlfriend's head before taking the seat Loki abandoned.

"Fix this shit before the baby arrives. She needs you a lot and you look at Loki like you haven't spent the past year together being disgustingly cute," Natasha scolds the metal armed soldier who doesn't even react to her anger.

"I'm gettin' real tired of you always blamin' me for all the bad shit that happens in my relationship with Loki," Bucky eventually tells her with a glare. "Stop gettin' into our business. Last I checked a relationship involved two people, not the entire Avengers roster."

"I get into your business because Loki, aside from being my best friend, is like another sibling to me and because you can be so fucking dense sometimes, Barnes."

"Nat," Steve reprimands her gently, even though he knew it was the truth. When it came to relationship problems, his best friend could be so clueless.

"You're so biased. You think Loki can do no wrong, well she's the one who's been pushin' me away since the day our son's powers fucking manifested. Maybe yell at her for once."

With that, Bucky left the room angrily and Natasha sighed and shook her head.

"That bad? I've never seen Loki look like that and Bucky's so angry," Steve asks his girlfriend who leans into him.

"They're all seeing a family counselor who apparently suggested that Loki and Bucky see a couples counselor." Natasha rested her head on Steve's shoulder, thinking back to her conversation with Loki. "She didn't even realize that their anniversary had already passed, looked so heartbroken when I told her."

"It's been a hard few weeks for them, but I'm sure they'll get things right again."

"I hope so," Natasha mumbles.

*

Loki enters the master suite and closes the door after her, smiling softly when she finds Tony already under the covers with Gerald and Brownie at the foot of the bed. He looks up when she enters the room and smiles, tired chubby face lighting up.

"Hi darling, can't sleep?" She asks him as she gets under the covers next to him.

"Had a bad dream, mommy," Tony mumbles as he tucks himself close to her. "And when I woke up, my fingers were glowing."

"Oh darling," Loki sighs as she holds her child close. "We will figure this out, I promise."

Both fell asleep quickly after that, not noticing that Bucky never made it to bed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping for a second update on Thursday or Friday, but I've been slacking lately reading too much The Mandalorian fan fics and binge watching season one of Big Hero 6 😂😂


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki thinks back to a week ago and how after putting the younger two kids to bed and wishing the older ones a good night, she'd locked herself in her room and cried herself to sleep. There'd been a fear eating her from the inside about James ending things between them and how difficult it would be to just... exist without him.

"Hey," Loki hears her boyfriend greet her quietly and she looks up in surprise to find the man actually entering and closing their bedroom door.

"Are you staying?" Loki can't help but to ask, the surprise and happiness evident in her tone and hard to conceal.

"Uh if that's okay with you? I mean, I can go back to the guest room if-"

"No! Uh no, you can stay. Just surprised is all." And Loki internally winced at how awkward and desperate she sounded at the thought of finally having the man she loves sleeping next to her for the first time in a month.

Tony's nightmares had gotten better and he no longer sneaked in in the middle of the night to sleep in bed with her so now her only company was usually Brownie, but tonight the dog had decided to sleep with Hela.

Loki goes back to the book she'd been reading when James walked in, well attempts to. She finds herself staring at the man as he moves around the room getting ready for bed. She watches the way he takes off his shirt and his muscles flex, metal arm catching the light and drawing her attention to it. Watches him remove his pants until he's left standing in his underwear and it's not that she's watching him do all that because she wants to have sex, hasn't felt that way in weeks now anyways, but because she's missed sharing their nighttime routine. Missed having him in their room and missed having him near her for more than five minutes.

Loki thinks back to a week ago and how after putting the younger two kids to bed and wishing the older ones a good night, she'd locked herself in her room and cried herself to sleep. There'd been a fear eating her from the inside about James ending things between them and how difficult it would be to just... exist without him. Loki had even briefly hated herself for introducing her biological kids to him so they would have been spared the heartbreak if things ended badly.

Had even briefly wished they'd never met, but then memories of Anthony flooded her mind and it tore her apart to think that maybe she wouldn't have gotten this. To be a parent to a child that wasn't hers and that deserved that love parents gave to their kids. And so she decided that if it came to the worst case scenario, the heartbreak would be worth it because she would at least always have all of her children.

"You okay?" James asks her, breaking Loki out of the dark thoughts and making the mage jump slightly. When had he gotten in bed? "Lo?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, just thinking," Loki told him, waving his concern off and giving a slight nervous chuckle as she closed her book and placed it on the bedside table. "Did you tell the others we are leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Told them that I wouldn't be available for any type of missions or alerts," James says as he settles under the blankets and lays down on his back and staring up at the ceiling. "Are the kids ready and packed?"

"Had a slight argument with Jor, but yes, they are all ready."

"About what?" James frowns and looks at Loki who flushed under his gaze.

"He uh did not want to head out to the compound with us. Fenrir was also kind of against the idea and said he would prefer to head to Asgard."

"He's not leavin' though, is he?" James asks slightly hurt and upset at the thought of two of his sons not wanting to spend the week with them at the New Avengers Facility.

"Had to threaten him, but no."

An awkward silence settles between them. James goes back to staring up at the ceiling and Loki loses herself in her thoughts once more.

If they did break up, should she move back to Asgard and have the kids visit their father, make a joint custody type of arrangement? But then she couldn't take Anthony and Peter with her, their whole lives have been here and not up there. But how could she live getting separated from two of her children again? Perhaps having her own place in the city would be the better solution. Or could she stay in the tower? James could always move back to his own floor or share with Steve again.

"Stop thinkin' so hard," James tells her softly, turning on his side to be able to look at her properly. "I know things have been rough, but we'll get through this, I promise, but you have to put your part in these therapy sessions, too."

"It is not easy for me to express what I am feeling and you know it," Loki snaps, shoving back the blankets and getting up, the urge to pee to strong to ignore now.

From the bathroom, she heard James groan in frustration and the bed move. Her heart clenched in fear at the thought of him leaving again. She waited to hear the bedroom door open, but it never did.

Washing her hands quickly and drying them, she opens the bathroom door and finds James pacing their room but stops once she steps out and rushes over to pull her into a hug.

"Um what's this for?" Loki asks curiously as she hugs back. "Not that you do not ever hug me, but still."

"Because I love you and I've missed you and I just want us to go back to where we were," James explains into her neck and Loki relaxes in his hold. "I'm sorry if I ask or expect too much of ya sometimes. It's not fair of me to do so."

"You do not need to apologize you know? I know I can be a lot. Difficult to handle." Loki's chuckle comes out shakier than she would have liked.

He shakes his head and pulls back enough to look Loki in the eye and say, "You're not difficult to handle, so don't ever say that again. It's the past we've had that's shaped us to be the people we are today." He leans forward and kisses Loki's lips softly for the first time in awhile and it makes the mage's head spin and knees feel weak.

The kiss, no matter how short and light it'd been, still brought the same wave of emotions it had brought during their first, second and beyond. Loki was glad it was all still there. So glad.

"Your daughter is finally asleep, it seems," is the first thing Loki tells him when they pull away, neither mentioning the tears in their eyes.

"Has she been giving you a lot of trouble?" James asks before kneeling down to cup the bump and placing small kisses on it.

"Keeps me up at night, probably missed you."

"Well I missed the two of ya so much." He places another kiss to Loki's bump before standing up. "But I think we should go to sleep."

And for the first time in a month, Loki sleeps happy and safe with James beside her.

*

"Ugh, aren't we supposed to leave today?" Fenrir asks as he sits at the island having breakfast on the communal floor.

Steve was cooking breakfast for him and the rest of his siblings since their parents had slept in and well all FRIDAY had told them was that they were... busy.

"I'd rather leave late and now that mom and dad are together again then leave right now with the two giving each other the cold shoulder," Jor replies to his older brother's comment.

"He's got a point," Peter speaks up with a mouthful of pancakes and Steve sends him a glare. "Sorry."

"Stop discussing your parent's private life and get eating," Steve scolds them as he places another pancake on Peter's plate.

"I'm done Uncle Steve! Can I go play?" Tony asks the blonde as he shows him his empty plate, mouth covered in syrup and hands no doubt sticky.

"Yeah! Me too?" Sleipnir asks next and Steve smiles at the two but before he can let them go, he walks over to clean them up.

"You're all sticky and you know Aunt Nat gets mad when Clint touches the furniture with his sticky and dirty fingers," Steve reminds the pair, Jor snorting as he gets up to pour himself more orange juice.

"But we're adorable and loveable, Aunt Nat can't get mad at us," Tony reminds his uncle who laughs and kisses their heads before letting them go.

"I'm cute and adorable, right?" Fenrir asks his siblings and uncle who all look at him with confused looks.

"Not loveable," Hela replies with a smirk and Steve holds back a chuckle as the other kids laugh at the teen's offended look.

"Mommy! Papa!" They hear Tony and Sleipnir shout from the living room.

"Hey boys!" Comes Bucky's happy reply and it's not long before Loki and Bucky walk in, the mage with a to go cup with what Steve assumed was tea.

"Grandpa made us breakfast, don't worry about us," Fenrir tells his parents and Peter giggles as he looks up at Steve who sighs and shakes his head though there was a fond smile tugging at his lips.

"Well thank Thor someone else cares enough about you brats to feed you," Bucky jokes and Loki rolls her eyes fondly as she moves further into the kitchen to dump the rest of her tea down the kitchen sink. "Anyways, I'll go make sure the Quinjet is ready so we can leave."

"Everything good between you two?" Steve asks the mage as he walks over to the sink to start working on the dirty dishes.

"Heading in the right direction, hopefully," Loki replies as she helps him with the dishes; he washes and she dries. Clint broke their dishwasher two days ago with one of his many failed experiments and with Tony no longer an adult, they weren't exactly going to allow a five year old to fix it. "We talked almost all night and I feel like things are getting better."

"Is that what you call it now? Talking all night?" Steve wiggled his eyebrows at Loki in a suggestive manner and gave a delighted laugh when he managed to make the mage blush. "No but on a more serious note, glad to see you two so happy again. And it'll be good for the kids to see you two together and happy again."

Loki nods and smiles at Steve before rushing off when they heard Tony start to cry from the living room followed by Bucky laughing and Sleipnir shouting angrily at their father.

"Ooh, dad's in trouble. He made the baby cry," Jor comments with a smirk as he walks into the kitchen after having gone off without Steve noticing.

"Not a baby!" Tony shrieked from the living room before continuing to sob and shriek.

"A whole week away from you kids will be absolute bliss," Steve states with a smile and ignores the pouts sent his way.

*

"Okay so Tony's birthday is in two days, what's our plan?" Bucky asks Loki their first night at the compound, waiting for the kids to finish putting on their pajamas so they can watch a movie.

"He told me he did not want anything big, and frankly, I am in no condition to be throwing a party either," Loki says as she motions to her large bump. "I we let him have an Anthony day where he picks whatever he wants to do."

"That sounds like a good idea. I can order the cake tomorrow and tell the kids so they don't complain about all the Disney movies he's gonna wanna watch."

Loki laughs as they walk towards the kitchen to grab some snacks for their movie night.

"Mom!" Peter shouts from upstairs and suddenly the sounds of two teenagers racing down the stairs is heard and Bucky sighs. "Mom! Look what Fenrir did to my hair!"

Suddenly Peter rubs into the kitchen and it takes everything in Loki and Bucky to not laugh at the teen's blue colored Mohawk.

"I personally think it's an improvement," Fenrir defends himself as he walks in after his brother with a smug look.

"Maybe a week alone will be a bad idea," Bucky mumbles to his girlfriend who nods in agreement.

"Let's take comfort in the fact that Peter leaves sooner," Loki reminds him before she turns to glare at Fenrir until he turns Peter's hair back to normal. "Be good."

"You spoil all the fun," Fenrir mumbles as he pushes past his brother who pouts and goes over to their mom who coos at Peter and frets over her baby just as the others walk in, but by then Peter's hair is back to normal.

And if Bucky thought that was the last of his headaches, well it's going to be a long week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really sick last week which is why I didn't update again and this chapter is so short, lmao
> 
> but anyways, can we talk about the teasers we got yesterday for the Marvel Disney+ shows?! Holy shit I'm so excited. the WandaVision show looks insane and we got like, two seconds of Loki content but the best two seconds of my life 😂😂


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Happy birthday, little boss."
> 
> "Thank you, FRIDAY!"

"Are you gonna cry?" Bucky asks his girlfriend wearily, taking a hesitant step forward to where the mage sat on their bed hugging Mister Snuggles tightly like a child afraid of something.

"How can I not?" Loki choked out, burying her face into the bear's fur and Bucky sat next to her and risking the chance of getting hit because she refuses to be comforted. It's happened more than once. "My baby is turning six, James, six!"

"Hmm, yes. Our Bambi is turning six tomorrow." Bucky wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls the mage into his side. "Is this why you've been so upset all day?"

"Well, no," she mumbles into his shirt, face half buried in his chest and the bear. "I am tired and I want this baby out." Bucky doesn't need to see Loki to know she's pouting.

Bucky snorted and placed a kiss to the top of her head. There was a small quiet knock on their door and Bucky turned his head to see Tony walk in with Gerald and a small pout on his face. Bucky simply nudges Loki with an amused grin and the mage sits up to see who's entered their room.

"Hi baby," she greets him with a wide smile, all previous sadness washed away from her face as Tony rushes forward into his mother's embrace. "Thought you were asleep." Loki places the bear to the side and instead buries her face in the child's curly hair.

"Sleipnir is sleeping with Jor, and Peter and Fen are watching scary movies," Tony informs his parents as he looks up at Bucky who coos. "And I had a bad dream."

"Did the glowy thing happen?" Bucky asks the child who nods and brings a hand up and sure enough, there's a very faint glow around his shaking fingers.

Loki makes a pained noise as she holds the child tighter to herself and Bucky gives his son a reassuring smile.

They would figure things out.

Eventually.

*

The next morning Tony wakes up alone in the big bed with just Gerald and Brownie curled up on the side that his mommy sleeps on.

"FRIDAY, where are my mommy and papa?" Tony asks the AI as he got out of bed with a slight struggle.

"They are downstairs making breakfast along with the rest of your siblings," FRIDAY replied cheerily. "Happy birthday, little boss."

"Thank you, FRIDAY!"

He giggled and headed for the door, hearing Peter's giggles coming from downstairs and Fenrir complaining about something. He walked down the hallway, hearing Brownie's little paws against the floor and picked her up to go downstairs despite his parents and Hela having warned him not to do so since he nearly tripped once.

When Tony reaches the kitchen, he's amazed to find balloons everywhere and his Uncle Thor and grandma among the rest of his family.

"Happy birthday, Tony!" They all cry out happily and Brownie barks along, wanting to wish her human a happy birthday as well.

"Hi!" Tony greeted them all with a huge grin before rushing off towards his mommy who opened her arms.

"Happy birthday, darling," she tells him as she picks him up despite getting a look from his papa.

Tony knew he was getting too big to be carried, but he didn't really mind since almost everyone in his family was super strong and if they could carry Peter, than they could carry him. But his papa didn't like it when his mommy carried him since she was already carrying his baby sister.

He was passed from his papa to his siblings and then his Uncle Thor who gave him a big hug and many kisses before he was finally able to greet Frigga who waited with a smile on her face.

"You came!" Tony exclaimed happily as he hugged the woman who hugged back and placed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Well, I could not miss your sixth birthday, my sweet boy. And perhaps I can help you with your powers, but that will be much later after we have eaten and you have opened your presents, alright?" Frigga tells him and Tony nods excitedly before rushing over to Peter who picked him up and cuddled him.

"Alright, everyone sit, breakfast is ready," Bucky announces a while later and shakes his head when Loki goes to help him. "Nuh uh, princess, go sit. I'm not lettin' ya do any work form now on."

"Yeah mom! You sit, you've got four other kids here to help," Peter announces happily as he sets Tony down in a seat next to Sleipnir and goes off to help their father.

"Speak for yourself, Parker," Fenrir answers with a scoff, not even attempting to go help out in the kitchen as Jor and Hela followed their brother.

"Lazy," Jor coughed out, ducking out of the way as Fenrir threw a piece of bread his way.

"These are our mornings," Loki informs her mother and brother who were watching everything unfold with amusement. "Our entire day."

"This is why I always told you and your brother; the day you have children of your own, you will understand the pain," Frigga teases her two children. "Speaking of, Thor darling, when are you and Jane giving me grandbabies?"

Loki laughs at her brother's horrified face. Both he and Jane were too busy and not stable enough in their relationship to even think about getting married, let alone have kids. It was a shame because Jane was the first of Thor's many girlfriends that she liked and approved of.

"Oh please, all Thor is good for is spoiling his nephews, but the minute he has a child of his own, he won't even know what to do," Loki tells her mother who laughs while Thor grinned sheepishly. He really did love to spoil the kids.

"I am fine with just being an uncle for the moment," Thor informs their mother who makes a sound of disappointment that had Tony and Sleipnir giggling.

"Well, do not wait too long. Your father wants you to take the throne soon and you will need an heir," Frigga informs her son who winces slightly and looks over at Loki who shrugs. Loki wasn't looking to rule Asgard anymore, or like ever. Her anger had stemmed from the fact that their father had never even considered the mage to take over the throne, even when Thor was a hot headed asshole who looked for confrontation left and right. Loki was happy with her family on Midgard and didn't plan on leaving anytime soon.

"How soon is soon?"

"Soon."

Loki chuckles and the younger two kids giggle while Thor sighs.

"Where's grandpa?" Tony questions Frigga who turns to smile at him just as the others walked over with their plates of food.

"He could not leave Asgard unattended, little one, but he sends his love and hopes to see you soon."

Tony nods, seemingly satisfied with that answer and starts eating while telling his family what he wants to do the rest of the day.

*

"Do you still feel like crying?" Bucky asks his girlfriend in a teasing manner, not even complaining about the hit to his arm he receives from the mage. "You know I like to tease ya."

"But I do not like this kind of teasing," Loki snaps and then blushes when she realizes what she's said and Bucky laughs, delighted at her response.

"So you do like it," Bucky says in a low tone as he places his hands on Loki's hips and pulls her close and smirks deviously. "So for future reference, you do like it when I take my time with you? When I kiss my way down your body and open you up slowly?"

"Stop it," Loki hissed, a shade of red Bucky had never seen before on her face and he laughed as she buried her face in his chest. "You are insufferable... and if I weren't this fat then I would let you know how much I do not like it."

"One, you're not fat so stop saying you are. Two, you can show me right now, I'm not opposed to gettin' dirty under our sheets." He wiggled his eyebrows even though she couldn't see him.

"You are disgusting and no, we are not having sex."

Bucky was about to complain when there was a knock on their bedroom door and he reluctantly let go of Loki to go open the door. Fenrir and Peter were standing there, the latter with a frightened look on his face and Fen with an annoyed one.

"Yes?" Bucky asks his sons with a raised eyebrow, hearing Loki head into the bathroom, probably to keep hiding.

"Parker was too scared to come on his own, but the baby wants to open his presents now and we request your presence in the living room," Fenrir informs Bucky who laughs at Peter's mortified face.

"Two seconds earlier and you would have probably heard something ya shouldn't have," Bucky teases his spider teen who turns red and looks seconds away from crying. Fenrir simply laughs and snaps a picture of his brother's face.

"Barnes, leave my child alone," Loki scolds as she walks over to Peter and pulls him protectively into her arms, the teen pouting up at Bucky as he rests his head on his mother's shoulder.

"Mommy's boy," Fenrir teases Peter and then Peter is chasing Fenrir all through the place and Loki sighs as she gives Bucky a look.

"What?" He asks innocently before taking her hand and they walk towards the living room.

Once they're all together in the living room, even Brownie, Tony happily opens his presents and even blows out the candles on a cake Thor had brought.

"What's this?" Tony asks Frigga when he opens her present and holds up a gold thin bracelet with green vines in the design that Loki immediately recognized.

"This, my sweet boy, has been worn not only by your mother, but also by the rest of your siblings," Frigga explains as she takes the bracelet and puts it on Tony's left hand. "They wore it when they were young and had no control over their powers yet. This is to help you keep them in check until you have practice and experience with it."

Tony stared at the bracelet wide eyed before looking up at his grandma with teary eyes and launching himself at her to hug the woman who smiled warmly and hugged him back tightly. Loki smiled and leaned into Bucky who wrapped an arm around her shoulders, thumb rubbing at her skin under the sleeve of her shirt.

"Thank you, mother," Loki tells Frigga who smiles over at her. This was certainly one less thing to worry about, even if it was just a temporary solution and they would need to find a way to incorporate some classes into Tony's schedule.

The day comes to an end with them all watching Tony's favorite Disney movies in the living room in their pajamas. Ironically, he was also the first one to fall asleep where he lay on top of his Uncle Thor who laid on the ground. After that, the kids headed off to sleep and Loki followed, too tired nowadays to stay up as late as she used to.

"Are you asleep?" Bucky asks quietly as he climbs in bed next to his girlfriend about an hour after she had headed off to sleep. He'd stayed behind with Thor, the two watching some boxing match despite neither being fans.

"I was," Loki mumbled, refusing to open her eyes, hoping to fall back asleep now that the baby was quiet for once.

"Hmm, sorry but I just want to tell you that I love you."

"Well I don't."

"You're cute when you're mad."

Loki was just about to turn around to punch him when he settled down behind her and wrapped an arm around her. Bucky placed a kiss to the back of her neck and Loki was starting to fall asleep when their bedroom door opened and Sleipnir sneaked into the room. Loki just pushed the covers up to let the child climb into bed next to her and wrapped an arm around him, feeling the little boy snuggle into her and place a hand on her bump.

"Can't sleep, kid?" Bucky asks Sleipnir as he brings a hand up to play with his dark hair.

"No," Sleipnir replies, tracing random shapes on Loki's bump.

The mage was just starting to fall asleep again when the baby began to move and unfortunately, press down on her bladder which had her groaning as she got out of bed to go use the bathroom.

Just one night, that's all she was asking. One peaceful night to sleep without a baby moving or children sneaking into their room or Bucky deciding to have a conversation at two am. Just one.

"Is it too much to ask?" Loki asked herself as she washed her hands and looked in the mirror, the deep dark circles under her eyes being proof of the little to no sleep she gets nowadays.

When Loki heads back into the room, Bucky is sleeping on his back and Sleipnir has moved to lay on top of the man. It's endearing and it makes Loki's heart swell with love because this was something she never knew she would ever have. Bucky truly was one of the best gifts the universe had ever given her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geralda is coming into the world next chapter !! that's not the baby's name btw, Tony just really loves Gerald😂😂
> 
> on another note, I promise that I will have updates for Overjoyed and Changing Roles soon, I've just been making some minor changes to the plots and I ended up adding five whole new chapters to Changing Roles (yikes for me, lmao)


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You did so good, Lo," James tells her as tears roll down his cheeks and he presses his lips to hers. "So good, babydoll. We have our Geralda."

**~ 5:47 PM**

"Where's James?!" Loki shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks from the pain she was in. "He's supposed to be here!"

"And he will!" Thor tried to reassure his sister who was holding his hand in a death grip, sending Bruce and Eir a look that told them to do something. "Steven and Natasha will bring him back soon."

"At least we weren't all called in," Bruce mused as he let Eir do her job.

**~ 12 hours ago ; 5:31 am ~**

"Doll," Loki heard Bucky call her over and over until she woke up from the uneasy sleep she was having.

"It better be good or I will stab you, Barnes," Loki hissed as she looked up at her boyfriend who was smiling down at her apologetically.

"I got called in. Nat and Stevie need me for a quick mission," he explained and Loki sighed but nodded.

"Can I stab Fury instead? He promised."

"I know, but think of it this way, I'll get to be around longer once the baby's born." Bucky smiles and Loki rolls her eyes, ignoring the slight discomfort in her stomach.

"Can't someone else go?" She tried to keep him here, because despite having gone through this four other times, Loki still found it difficult to tell between fake contractions or the real ones.

"They kinda need me and one part of the team is off on another mission with Sam as the leader. It won't take all day and I'll even pick up Pete from school and have Nat and Steve drop us off here."

"Alright. Be safe," Loki tells him in a resigned tone and Bucky kisses her softly before leaving.

After that, Loki doesn't get any sleep anymore. The discomfort was too great and Tony and Sleipnir sneaked into the room sometime around six with Brownie following them eagerly.

"Where's papa?" Sleipnir asks curiously as he and his brother settle on the bed.

"He has to go with Steve and Natasha on a mission. He shall return soon and he will pick up Peter from school and bring him back to the compound," Loki explained tiredly, wishing she could go back to sleep and pretend that she wasn't about to go into labor without her boyfriend home. A whole two weeks early.

"But papa promised we'd play outside today," Tony whined and Loki smiles sadly at him.

"Perhaps tomorrow, boys. Now, are you going to sleep again or are you going to help me prepare breakfast?"

"Breakfast!" Both boys cheered and hurried out of bed and out of the room with Brownie.

Loki took a second to breath through a small contraction before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

**~ 8:21 am ~**

"You have been acting strange all morning," Hela points out to her mother after breakfast, Fenrir being the only one still asleep.

"I was not sure earlier, but I think the baby is coming," Loki tells her daughter who stares wide eyed.

"And you are this calm because..."

"Fifth time going through this. I know from experience that it can be awhile until the baby actually comes out."

"Like Fen?"

"What about me?" Asked Fenrir himself as he walked into the kitchen yawning and stretching.

"You were born a whole week late and it took you an extra twenty four hours to want to greet the world," Hela teases her brother who grins as he heads for the refrigerator.

"Why are we bringing this up for the millionth time?" Fenrir wonders as he drinks juice straight from the container despite Loki's halfhearted glare.

"Mom's having the baby."

"What?! Like right now?!" It took everything in him to not drop the juice in his panic.

"Not now now, you moron, but like some time today now."

"Oh well, that still gives me time to take a nap then." Fenrir stretches and Loki doesn't even have the energy to scold him. She's too focused on trying to not have the baby without James. "I now I can be an asshole sometimes, but do you need us to do anything? Call anyone?"

"James and I went over this with FRIDAY, what she needs to do because knowing your father, he's probably going to panic," Loki tells the two who laugh. "Just keep the kids busy for me and she'll do the rest."

"Will do. I'll take them outside for a bit," Fenrir says and Loki nods in thanks.

"Mr Odinson and Dr Banner have arrived," FRIDAY informs them and Loki relaxes a tiny bit. They hadn't been called, but she's never been more grateful for coincidences.

"Uncle Thor! Uncle Bruce!" Tony and Sleipnir shouted excitedly from the living room.

"Looks like the big guns are here," Fenrir jokes and Hela rolls her eyes as she finishes putting away the dishes they used that morning.

"Morning!" Thor greets loudly as he and Bruce walk into the kitchen.

"You guys want breakfast?" Loki asks the two who shake their heads.

"I think you should go lay down or something," Hela informs her mother who sighs.

"Is everything okay?" Bruce questioned them worriedly as he looks between Hela and Loki.

"Mom's going into labor," Fenrir tattled before leaving the kitchen entirely to go bother the younger kids.

"What? Loki." Thor stares at his sister wide eyed and Bruce simply laughed.

"She's fine, I'm sure. When did the contractions start?" Bruce asks the mage as he leads her over to a chair.

"At around five this morning when James left for a mission," Loki replies calmly, ignoring her brother who looked about ready to start panicking.

"Is he going to be gone all day?" Bruce frowns.

"Said he would pick up Peter from school, so I assume he will be back before dinner."

"Okay. Well, FRIDAY can keep monitoring you and have medical ready and the staff on standby and we shall go from there. How have your past pregnancies gone? Quick or long labor?"

"Hela was the quickest and Fen took a whole twenty four hours," Loki replies and Bruce makes a pained face at that. "The other two were more normal, like their sister. Didn't go past four hours."

Checking his watch, Bruce nodded and said, "Okay, so FRIDAY will inform me of any changes and we might have to call Bucky back depending how fast this progresses."

Loki nodded and smiled as Bruce kissed her head before heading off to the medical area.

"Is mommy having Geralda?" Tony asks his Uncle Thor who's trying to decide what to make the kids for lunch.

"Is that what your parents are calling her?" Thor questions his nephew with a horrified look as he turns to face the six year old who giggles at his expression.

"No silly! I like calling her Geralda just because." Tony shrugged and Thor went back to looking in the refrigerator. "So the baby's coming?"

"Aye, little one. Are you excited to be a big brother?"

"Very! She's gonna love me the most." Tony grinned and Thor laughed a loud booming laugh that attracted Jor and Sleipnir into the kitchen.

"Is he talking about Geralda?" Jor asks his uncle who nods and starts preparing them some sandwiches. Easy and he didn't risk burning the food or the whole compound.

"Where are my favorite Hobbits?!" Clint shouts from down the hallway and then he walks into the kitchen followed by Wanda and Sam.

"Thought you would be gone a lot longer," Thor comments as he places plates in front of Sleipnir, Tony and Jor who were sitting at the island. Hela was with their mother and Fenrir had taken to being Bruce's shadow all morning.

"Got in about an hour ago, but FRIDAY told us about Loki," Wanda explains as she greets the three kids with kisses on their cheeks. "Natasha says they've ran into a small complication, but should be back soon."

"Just hope it's on time," Sam mumbles and Thor nods in agreement.

**~ 1:16 pm ~**

"We have a problem back home," Natasha informs Steve as they waited for Bucky to return with some information, making sure their comms were off before talking.

"What kind of problem?" Steve asks with a frown as he rests his shield on his back and looks at his girlfriend who looks more serious than usual.

"Loki's going into labor. FRIDAY and Wanda are keeping me updated, but I don't want to tell Bucky because knowing him it'll throw him off the rest of the mission."

Steve nods in understanding, but they were risking the chance of Bucky missing the birth of his first biological kid.

"How much longer do you think we have?"

"Well you can't always tell with these things, but Wanda says that it could still be a few more hours. Definitely won't go past tonight, so we need to hurry."

Steve nods and looks up when Bucky rushes over to them with a flash drive and a grin on his face.

"Got the information," he says, waving the flash drive around.

"Good. Let's finish this," Steve says in his Captain voice and the three rush off into the woods to their destination.

**~ 2:00 pm ~**

Loki was done. There was no way she would be going through this a sixth time. Especially not if James decided to head off on another mission knowing she could literally give birth any day.

"You're okay, just breath deep," Wanda instructed as she rubbed Loki's back, trying to help her through another contraction.

They were waiting for this one to be over to head down to medical, the contractions much closer in time and lasting longer and they were more painful. Bruce has a wheelchair waiting so she wouldn't walk from one wing of the compound to another.

"We good to go?" Bruce asks as he walks forward to help Loki who nods.

It's not long before she's settled in a room being monitored and the healer from Asgard that Frigga has brought making the necessary tests. There's still no sign of James, but the others reassure her that they've informed Natasha who should have told him by now.

Loki's just been left alone in the room when the door opens the all five kids walk in and she immediately misses her Peter.

"Hi mommy!" Tony greets her, making Fenrir pick him up so he can kiss his mommy's cheek and Loki laughs. "Where's Geralda?"

"Not here yet, darling," Loki informs him and Tony pouts.

"She's probably waiting for dad to get here," Jormungand jokes and Loki rolls her eyes.

"It will not be much longer now, kids. The baby is just taking her time like Fenrir did."

The other kids all begin to giggle and tease their brother who huffs and frowns at them. At the next contraction, Jor is quick to lead the younger kids out of the room while Hela and Fenrir do their best to coach their mother through it.

"Did Eir say how far you were?" Hela asks their mother once the contraction ends.

"Only four centimeters, we could be here a long while," Loki responds and Fenrir makes a face before leaving the room completely. "Make sure your brothers don't make Anthony cry again, he's been a little sensitive these last few days."

"Don't worry." Hela smiles and leans down to kiss her mom's cheek before leaving the room, smiling Wanda who walked in to keep Loki company.

**~ 3:51 PM ~**

"Six centimeters," Eir announced as she dropped the sheet back down to cover Loki and stands up with a slight frown. "You are doing good, princess."

"I do not need good, I need this baby out. Now!" Loki shouted angrily and Thor looked at the Asgardian healer apologetically, to which she waved him off, to used to angry women in labor after over a millennia of having done this.

"Yes yes, not much longer now. Stay with her," Eir warns Thor who nods and watches the short woman leave the room.

"Do you need anything?" Thor asks his sister who shakes her head, tears in her eyes and both hands on her bump.

"I need Barnes here in the next hour or I will cut off his manhood!" Loki shouted, voice cracking from the pain as she doubled over as another contraction hit. "I don't think I can do this."

"Hush now, do not be silly, Loki," Thor tries to comfort his younger sibling as he strokes her hair. "And I am sure that he will make it in time. Just thinking about the baby you will be holding soon enough."

Loki nods, eyes closed as she breathes in and out.

**~ 5:47 PM**

"Where is James?!" Loki shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks from the pain she was in. "He's supposed to be here!"

"And he will!" Thor tried to reassure his sister who was holding his hand in a death grip, sending Bruce and Eir a look that told them to do something. "Steven and Natasha will bring him back soon."

"At least we weren't all called in," Bruce mused as he let Eir do her job.

"My princess, we are ready to begin," Eir tells Loki who shakes her head. "We can not wait any longer. The baby is coming now, so I am going to need you to push on the next contraction."

Suddenly there was a commotion outside and the door burst open to reveal James still in his combat armor and completely out of breath.

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" James shouted as he rushed over to Loki who sobbed in relief and stretched out her free hand towards him. "I'm so sorry, doll." He leaned down and kissed her sweaty forehead. "Please don't be mad."

"Now can we begin?" Asked the Asgardian healer slightly irritated and Bruce and Thor had to hold back their chuckles.

"I will be waiting with the others," Tho informs Loki who nods and he kisses her head before leaving with a squeeze to James's shoulder.

When the next contraction came, Loki began to push while cursing up a storm and squeezing her boyfriend's hand tightly. It's a good thing he's a super soldier.

"One more big one. I can see her head."

"Come on, doll. We're so close now," James encourages her.

It takes a few more longer painful pushes, but just as the clock hits 6:19 PM on that June 3rd, their baby's cries fill the small room and Loki falls back on the bed sobbing in relief and happiness.

"Congratulations," Bruce tells them with a smile as he helps clean up the baby after James cuts the umbilical cord. "You guys are now proud parents to another girl."

"You did so good, Lo," James tells her as tears roll down his cheeks and he presses his lips to hers. "So good, babydoll. We have our Geralda."

Loki snorted in amusement but kept crying, only calming down once the baby was handed over to her and placed on her chest for some skin on skin contact. She was slightly worried about James' reaction to their baby being blue and red eyed, but he didn't even bat an eyelash and instead leaned down to kiss their newborn's head.

"She's perfect, doll," he whispered reassuringly. "So perfect."

"I know you guys want to keep her with you, but we need to run some tests and make sure she's healthy and then get Loki cleaned up and settled in another room," Bruce speaks softly as he walks up to them with a smile.

"Thank you," James tells his friend. Bruce had actually offered to be present, not just for the labor, but all of Loki's appointments knowing that it was kind of difficult to trust outsiders because of who they were.

The next time Loki looked down at her baby, her skin had turned the color of James', eyes an ice blue and she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips at that.

The baby was so comfortable on her mother's chest, nearly falling asleep but when she was picked up, she started to cry again already missing the warmth and safety. It took everything in Loki to not take her baby back from Bruce's hands, every instinct telling her to comfort her baby.

**~ 6:23 pm ~**

"I'll see you in a minute," Bucky tells Loki and kisses her head before leaving the room.

The waiting room was full, Bucky just noticed. Aside from his kids and Thor, the rest of the team, Pepper and Rhodey were also present with the CEO holding flowers and a few pink balloons.

"Is mom okay?!" "Is the baby here?!" "I wanna see Geralda!"

"Baby's here, but we gotta wait a bit before we can go in and see them," Bucky explained as he picked up Tony who'd walked up to him with his arms raised.

"I wanna see baby," Tony says with a pout as he places his hands on his papa's face, his beard tickling his palms.

"In a minute, Bambi." Bucky smiles at the impatient little boy.

"And? How do you feel?" Steve asks his best friend, one hand holding Nat's and his other arm wrapped around Pepper's waist.

"Overwhelmed with emotions," Bucky replies honestly. "It's something so beautiful and frightening to go through. Loki nearly broke my hand, but it was worth it."

A few chuckled and then walked forward to congratulate Bucky.

"Bet she's gonna say it's the least you deserve for what she just went through," Rhodey teases the soldier who laughs but nods, because yeah that did sound like something Loki would say.

"Anyways, I'm gonna go get changed out of my armor," Bucky informs the group who nod and he sets Tony down before he starts to head out with Steve following him towards the main living area of the compound.

**~ 6:30 pm ~**

"When are you gonna make me an uncle?" Bucky teases Steve who turns bright red and shakes his head.

"Uh not anytime soon. We're still figuring things out," Steve replies in complete embarrassment. "But this isn't about me! How's Loki? Guess the usual is to ask about the baby, but the mom deserves some love too."

"Uh she was pretty emotional. Might have called me a few choice words during the labor and nearly broke my hand," Bucky says and Steve laughs. "In all seriousness though, she's a real sport for havin' wanted to go through this a fifth, and hopefully final, time. Looked pretty painful."

"So you do think seven kids is enough?" Steve teases and Bucky punches his arm.

"Jerk. Loki and I did talk and we agreed that for now, this is it. If we get a surprise later on, then we will be okay with that, but we're not gonna look for an eighth child."

Steve grins and waits for Bucky to change before they head back to the medical wing.

**~ 6:40 pm ~**

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asks as he walks into Loki's room to check up on her, frowning when he sees the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I never had anyone by my side when I went through this the last four times," Loki tells Bruce, voice hoarse from the screaming and crying. "Just feeling overwhelmed."

"Only natural. Your hormones will be all over the place for awhile still," Bruce explains with a soft smile as he pulls up a chair to sit next to her. "I'm going to need you to be really honest with me, Lo, this is important."

Loki nods and brings a hand up to wipe away her tears and stares at Bruce with watery green eyes.

"On Asgard, is postpartum depression a thing?"

"Mental heath issues are sort of... taboo. People do not talk about it, and if you have anything, you pretend that you don't," Loki explains quietly. "But yes, it is a thing."

"Okay, well that saves some time. Have you ever had any past history with it?"

"When Jor was born, I could not even stand to be around him for his first few months of life. I was angry often and felt so alone, but I thought it was normal since my family had turned their backs on me the second they found out I was pregnant with Hela. All I had was the occasional comfort of the children's father."

"Well, just know that you have a whole family here for you, Lo. And you ever feel that way again, we'll find you the help, but don't keep it quiet, hmm?"

Loki nods in thanks and Bruce leans over to kiss her head just as the door opens and Bucky walks in with flowers and a large dopey grin on his face.

"I'll bring the baby in in a minute and it's up to you guys if you're up to having visitors right now," Bruce tells them as he stands up from his seat and lets Bucky take his previous spot.

"Can you let us have some time with the baby first? We still need to figure out a name," Bucky asks his friend who chuckles and nods before leaving. "How are you doin'?" He hands the flowers to Loki who thanks him and he kisses her softly.

"Tired, but very happy."

"What did Bruce want?" Bucky asks as he sits in the chair that Bruce vacated while Loki placed the flowers on the little table next to the bed.

"To ask how I was doing... mentally," Loki added hesitantly, almost like she was afraid of Bucky's reaction.

"And how are you?" Bucky reaches a hand out to brush hair away from Loki's forehead.

"I am okay, promise."

Bucky must see that she's being honest because he smiles and kisses the back of her hand. The door opened again and Bruce stepped in with their baby swaddled in a light pink blanket, the only part of her visible being her dark hair.

"Baby's perfect and hungry. And I hope you guys can decide on a name soon so we can fill out her birth certificate," Bruce teases them as he hands the baby over to Loki who smiles wide as the baby settles in her arms. "I'll come back once your done and give you guys time to think on a name."

"Thank you, Bruce," Bucky tells the doctor who nods and leaves just as Loki rearranges herself and the baby to feed her. "So names?"

Loki sighed as she watched her daughter have her first meal. Bucky moves forward as he too stared at the baby, almost like he couldn't believe she was really here with them.

"So we're not calling her Geralda Antonia?" Bucky teases his girlfriend, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"Take out Geralda and replace it with something more... normal," Loki replies with a smirk as she looks away from the baby.

"Hmm, this is complicated." He yawned, but sat up to take the baby from Loki once she was done eating to hold her against his chest and burp her. "Do you have any in mind?"

"What was your mother's name?" Loki asks him as she settles back against the pillows and tries to fight of sleep.

"Emily," Bucky whispered. "But I kinda like the -lie spelling instead of the usual -ly."

"It has a nice ring to it; Emilie Antonia Barnes."

"Emilie Antonia Barnes." He smiles as he brings the baby down to look at her peacefully sleeping face. "Perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao after writing the "see you in a minute" line, I had a .1% urge to suddenly kill off Loki😂😂 don't worry, I'm not that mean and I love Loki too much to do that
> 
> next chapter up on Friday so we can see Tony's reaction to meeting Geralda😂😂😂
> 
>  **Edit:** also, coincidentally my cousin's baby was born today so yay for double the baby love


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's all pink and wrinkly," Tony points out as he rests his head on Peter's shoulder. "I guess she's okay though. Could be better."

It's not until Emilie's an hour old when her siblings entered the room with various gifts and smiling. Loki had just made Bucky change the baby's first diaper (which he failed at) and was currently trying to keep her giggles quiet as to not disturb the sleeping infant.

"Hi," Tony greets them quietly, having been warned beforehand by Hela to be quiet in case the baby was sleeping.

"Hi darling," Loki greets, stretching an arm out for the child who rushes over to hug his mother who kissed his cheeks. "Came to meet your sister?"

"Yeah, we want to know if Geralda is ready to meet the squad," Fenrir jokes, letting his other siblings greet their mother before he gives her a tight hug.

"Well come on over then," Bucky tells them with a grin. "I just changed her diaper, so you guys missed all the fun."

"Hmm, I don't see how that's fun," Peter comments as he picks up Tony so he can see the baby and Hela does the same with Sleipnir.

"She's so cute!" "Wow she's so small." "Hi Geralda!"

"What do you think, Bambi?" Bucky asks his son as he looks at the six year old whose tiny button nose is wrinkled up in what he can only assume is disgust.

"She's all pink and wrinkly," Tony points out as he rests his head on Peter's shoulder. "I guess she's okay though. Could be better."

The three older boys snorted in complete amusement and Hela giggled.

"I hope we're really not gonna keep calling her Geralda. What's her name?" Fenrir asks as the baby stirs in their father's arms, turning to look at Loki who's smiling and looking seconds away from crying.

"Kids, meet Emilie Antonia Barnes," Bucky informs them proudly and hands the baby over to Hela when she sets Sleipnir down and asks to hold her sister. Tony gasps excitedly once he hears his baby sister's name. They shared a name!

"She's so beautiful," Hela whispers as she sits over on the couch, gazing down at Emilie lovingly and bringing a finger to touch her cheek lightly.

The other kids are quick to crowd around their two sisters, their focus entirely on the newest member of their family and Bucky snaps a picture of the kids before he walks over to Loki and sits on the bed next to her, an arm wrapping around her shoulders and holding her close.

"Look at our babies, Lo," Bucky whispers as he sets his phone aside, not wanting to break the peaceful atmosphere by talking any louder. "You made four of them, we adopted two and we made one perfect small little human."

"And together, the best family I could have asked for," Loki replies sleepily, struggling to stay awake to keep staring at the scene in front of her.

"Get some sleep, doll, you deserve it."

And Loki's eyes close and she falls asleep with a smile on her face.

With Loki asleep, Bucky tucks her in and makes sure she's in a comfortable position before walking over to his kids who smile up at him.

"Alright kids, I know you love your baby sister and want to spend more time with her, but why don't we let Em and your mother get some rest before we bring in the rest of the team to meet Emilie?" Bucky asks them. "Besides, I'm kinda hungry. Haven't eaten nearly all day."

"Sounds good to me. I could use some food," Fenrir says as he stands up and stretches.

Once Emilie is settled in her plastic crib over by Loki's left side of the bed, they all leave the room silently and head down the hall to the waiting area where only Thor and Steve remained.

"The others headed off to get something to eat," Steve explains as he stands up from the armchair and stretches. "How'd it go kids?"

"She's so cute!"

"And small."

"She's all wrinkly and kinda ugly, but we have the same name so that's okay."

"Hela kept hogging her."

"Did not!"

"Alright kids, let's not start a fight," Bucky scolds them as he picks up a tired looking Tony. It was nearing his bedtime, but he was sure the six year old would not want to go to sleep anytime soon. "They're sleeping right now, but hopefully the rest of you will get to meet Em before calling it a night."

"What did you decide to call my dear niece?" Thor questions the soldier and Tony immediately perks up, looking excited as he looks over at his uncle.

"Baby's name is Emilie Antonia Geralda Barnes!" Tony tells the two blondes in front of him and Tony's siblings start laughing and Bucky rolls his eyes and groans. "Her name's kinda like mine."

"Minus the Geralda part," Bucky mumbles to the other two adults who were chuckling at the little boy who giggled excitedly and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. "We're gettin' somethin' to eat if ya want to join us."

"Sure," Steve agrees and picks up Sleipnir who much like his younger brother, looked about ready to fall asleep now that the excitement of the day was wearing off.

They head to the Avengers living quarters of the compound and find the others in the communal areas doing various activities. They all look up when they enter and start asking about Loki and the baby.

"They're sleepin', but you can see Emilie and Lo once they wake up," Bucky informs them, not even surprised to already have Tony fast asleep on his shoulder.

"Her name is Emilie? Such a beautiful name," Pepper says with a big smile from where she's sitting next to Natasha at the table and a tablet resting on the surface.

"You guys eat, I'll go be with Loki in case she or the baby wake up," Natasha tells Bucky who thanks her and watches the blonde go.

"I'll take Tony to bed," Sam offers as he walks towards Bucky who hands over the sleeping child who did not even stir at the transfer.

"Wanna go sleep with my Tony," Sleipnir mumbles tiredly from Steve's arms and the super soldier smiles.

"Well let's go put you next to your Tony, then," says Steve and he follows after Sam while the kids and Bucky grab some leftovers.

*

"Alright big guy," Bucky says as he approaches Thor with the baby in his arms nearly two hours later. "Meet your new niece, Emilie."

It was a little comical, to see Thor hold a baby. He was so big and she was this tiny little thing about the size of his palm. And it was also funny when Thor began to tear up and sniffle like he did when he watched Titanic.

"Oh man, this is gold!" Clint exclaimed as he recorded Thor's reaction to meeting his niece for the first time.

"Are you live?" Sam asks the archer who nods and the two fist bump, ignoring Steve's look.

"Never knew I needed to see Thor holding a baby," Wanda says quietly in between giggles and even Vision looks pretty amused by the situation.

"Please do not drown her in your tears," Loki pleads a little concerned as she watches Thor struggling to hold his tears in.

"She is so tiny. What if I break her?" Thor wonders as he looks up at the rest of the team who all look amused by the situation.

"You won't. And in case that you actually did break an arm or something, she's got the super soldier serum and she's half Loki, so she'll be good," Bucky reassures his brother in law with a slight shrug.

Thor didn't look very reassured by that statement, but he looked back down at the baby who was starting to whimper slightly. The god's expression quickly turned into a panicked one, but then Loki told him that it was time for her to eat again.

"Well, we'll get out of your hair then so you can feed the little one and let you two get some rest," Natasha tells Loki as Clint exits out of his live after responding to some comments.

Loki nods and accepts the fussy baby back in her arms, her little arms waving up and down desperately.

"She's all you," Loki tells Bucky once the others have left and she's feeding the baby who's drinking a little too fast, almost like she had t eaten twice already since she was born.

"Hmm, I do get hungry often," Bucky comments with a grin and Loki rolls her eyes as she looks down at her baby.

*

"Can we come in?" Pepper asks as she pokes her head into the room the next morning and Loki waves them in with a smile, patting Emilie's back to get her to burp after her feeding. "How are you?" Pepper walks up to Loki, followed by Steve and Natasha who are all smiling as their eyes land on the baby.

"Tired. Em was up every hour and a half either needing a change or wanting to be fed," Loki explains, pulling the baby back once she lets out a quiet burp and adjust his hold on her. "Anyone want to hold her?"

"I do," Steve steps forward and takes the baby carefully, making a cooing noise when Emilie blinks tiredly up at him and makes a cute face while yawning. "Oh look at this precious little thing. Hi sweetie, I hope you take more after your mom because your dad can be a real jerk."

The three women in the room chuckle and make faces when they see Bucky standing by the door, very obviously having heard what his best friend said.

"Ass," Bucky grumbles playfully before making his way over to Loki with a cup of tea that the mage takes with a thanks.

"So why'd you call us in so early? Your children aren't even up and that's saying something," Natasha asks as she goes over to sit on the couch, Steve still busy cooing at the baby and Pepper walking over with her phone ready to take a picture.

"We actually want to ask you guys something before the others crowd the room, and hog Em."

"What is it?" Steve asks, looking away from the baby and staring between his two best friends.

"We want you three to be Emilie's godparents," Loki tells the three with a smile, momentarily shocking all three who stared back at the couple with wide eyes and even Natasha of all people, was at a loss for words. "That is, if you guys want. If not, we can always ask Barton."

"Hey now, we never said no," begins Steve as he tears his now teary gaze away from the couple to look down at the baby, "of course we want to be her godparents. Gosh, this is... wow. Thank you for the honor."

"Yeah guys, you literally left us speechless, but thank you for trusting us with something so big," Pepper replies softly as she brings a hand up to stroke Emilie's fuzzy dark hair.

"What made you guys pick us?" Natasha questions them, watching the way Bucky and Loki held hands as the mage leaned completely into her boyfriend while taking occasional sips from her tea.

"Well for one, we trust you with all our kids plus the dog," Bucky begins to list off, earning amused snorts from the others, "second, you three have been there for us since day one and I know how much Nat loves Lo and I can't thank her enough for always looking out for her."

"She's a much better sister than Yelena," Natasha states and Bucky just knows his girlfriend is smirking triumphantly.

"And third, if something ever happened to us, we would want you guys to take over and be there for not only Emilie, but also the other children," Loki says in a more serious tone. "With these lives we live, it is best to have plans in motion in case of worst case scenarios."

"While that is a very morbid thought, I agree," Steve adds with a nod, passing Emilie over to Pepper who immediately pressed a kiss to a pink chubby cheek. "And with children involved, it's best to have back ups and we would gladly look after them if anything were to happen to you two."

"Knock on wood, but yes," Natasha agrees with a nod.

"Thank you, guys." Bucky smiles.

The door opened a few minutes later and Bruce and Thor walked in, greeting everyone in the room.

"I talked to Eir," Bruce tells Loki. "She says you should be ready to leave before dinner. She's coming in to give you one final check up and then you and Em will be ready to head back home."

"Thank you, Bruce," Loki says relieved and Bucky stares worriedly at the doctor.

"So soon? I mean, not that I don't want them home, but shouldn't they stay longer?" Bucky asked his friend who chuckled.

"Well Loki's not human, and she started healing the minute the baby was out. I'm guessing with two more days in bed and she will be back to normal pre pregnancy."

Bucky nods and looks over to where Steve, Nat and Pepper are still fawning over Emilie who's giving them a pretty impressive stink eye considering she's not even a day old.

"She's definitely your daughter," Bucky informs Loki who scoffs and rolls her eyes.

*

"Alright kids, so your father told us your mother and Emilie will be home in about half an hour," Sam tells the kids who are all currently eating a late breakfast.

"Mommy and Geralda are coming?!" Tony shouts excitedly and Peter snorts beside him. "Yay!"

"Someday that poor baby's gonna resent you for calling her Geralda," Fen tells his baby brother who turns to glare at him.

"She likes Geralda. She always kicked me happily when she was in mommy's tummy."

"Maybe she was mad."

Tony doesn't bother arguing back, he simply bursts into tears and doesn't calm down until Sam picks him up. Crying is how Tony wins arguments nowadays since Fenrir and Jormungand discovered the joy of teasing their younger siblings.

"Leave your poor brother alone and go get ready for when your mom and the baby get here," Sam scolds the kids lightly. He was the adult in charge of them since Steve, Natasha and Pepper were with Loki and Bucky while Clint, Wanda, Vision and Rhodey headed into town to buy some things to welcome the new baby and Thor had gone with Happy to pick up Jane and Darcy at the airport.

"You made the baby cry," Jor scolds Fenrir with a playful hint in his voice that Sam did not like.

"N-Not a baby!" Tony wailed and Peter frowned at his two younger brothers before taking Tony from Sam who sighed in relief. He really had no idea how to comfort children.

"Leave him alone, assholes," Peter scolds them as he rubs his baby brother's back and kisses the side of his head. "Come on, spider baby, let's go make mom and the baby a nice picture, yeah?"

Tony nods, sniffling and hugging his brother while giving the other two the stink eye. Hela gives Jor and Fen a good slap to the back of the head while Sam sighs and heads off to leave her to deal with them.

"You're mean to my Tony!" Sleipnir shouted at his older brothers before kicking their shins and running off after Tony and Peter. Jor and Fenrir made pained noises as they rubbed their shins and their heads.

Peter meanwhile took Tony up to their room with Sleipnir following after them, still angry that his big brothers made his Tony cry. The three spend the next half an hour coloring until their Uncle Thor walks into the room with Jane and Darcy.

"Hi!" Tony greets them as he gets up from the floor and rushes up to Darcy.

"Oh look at my little bean! You're so big!" She coos as she picks him up and hugs him tight, squishing their cheeks together and Tony giggles.

"You're silly," Tony tells her before placing a kiss to her cheek and extending his arms out to Jane who smiles and takes him from her best friend.

Thor meanwhile is over by Sleipnir and Peter, admiring their work.

"Did you come to meet Geralda?" Tony asks the two women once Jane sets him down.

"Who?" Jane asks him, sending a confused look to her boyfriend.

"My baby sister. Her name's Emilie Antonia, like me, but I like to call her Geralda."

"Well the plan was to be here before the baby was born, but it seems that she decided to come a little earlier than planned," Jane explains as she ruffles Sleipnir's hair which made the child giggle. "Have you boys met your sister?"

"She's so tiny and pretty!" Sleipnir exclaims with a smile.

"And wrinkly," Tony adds and Peter and Darcy giggle as the six year old scrunches up his nose. "But mommy says that'll go away soon."

"It will. All babies look like that."

"Shall we head downstairs, children? The others have returned as well and are currently decorating the place for when your mother and Emilie return," Thor asks the kids who all cheer and rush out of the room.

It's not long before Bucky and Loki walk into the room with Emilie in Loki's arms bundled up in a soft pink blanket and a little hat on her head. The room is decked out in pink and white hellium balloons with 'It's a Girl!'and a 'Welcome Home' banner.

"You guys sure do like to go overboard with everythin'," Bucky comments, the bag they'd packed hanging from his left shoulder with already three dirty onesies.

"It's not everyday your best friends bring home a baby," Steve comments with a smile.

"Oh let me meet the little princess burrito!" Darcy squealed as she walked forward to take a look at the baby who was fast asleep wrapped up like a little burrito. "Oh look at those little cheeks. I can just bite them off."

"No! Don't bite Annie!" Tony shouts as he rushes forward to protect his sister from an apparently hungry Darcy Lewis.

"Oh you're so adorable I could just eat you up as well!"

"No! Mommy!" Tony cried, tears welling up in his eyes as he clung to his mother's side.

"Stop scarring my child, Lewis," Bucky scolds the young woman who shrugs happily while Jane sighs.

Natasha walked forward to take Emilie and immediately the others crowded around her to look at the baby while Bucky and Loki dealt with their child.

"Hey, Bambi," Bucky coos as he picks up the six year old who sniffles sadly and stares at his parents with tired red rimmed eyes. "Darcy was just joking, Tones. She's not gonna eat ya or Em, okay?"

"And besides, Anthony, you and your sister have a lot of people here who would protect you from anyone and anything that could pose as a danger," Loki informs him as she strokes his cheek.

"Bu' Annie is so small," Tony tells them, slipping into his Brooklyn accent which made Loki coo and smile wide. "An' she's my baby sister an' I wanna protect her from all the monsters, bu' Jor and Fen keep callin' me a baby 'cause I cry a lot."

Loki had to take a deep breath to not go up to her two sons and scold them in front of everyone.

"But you know they love ya, right?" Bucky asks him and receives a nod in response, if slightly hesitant. "Siblings can be so annoyin' sometimes and they're always teasin' and sayin' things to get a rise out of you, so don't go believin' whatever crap they tell ya, okay?"

"And I am sure that you are going to do a great job protecting your sister from the monsters, darling, and it is okay to cry. We all do it whether we are sad or happy or even frustrated. That does not make you a baby."

"Now, lets go see your sister and I'll make sure that your brothers don't bother ya again, sound good?"

Tony nods and rests his head on Bucky's shoulder, refusing to be put down on the ground so he just walked further into the room with a clingy six year old.

"We're havin' a chat later," Bucky informs Jor and Fen.

"Aww, you know we mean no harm, old man," Fenrir tries to get out of their future chat but the look Loki sends their way is actually enough to have him and Jor scurrying off elsewhere.

"Can I see Annie, papa?" Tony asks him quietly, looking at his baby sister longingly. She was currently being held by Wanda who looked a little nervous about holding her.

"Of course, Bambi." Bucky smiled, glad that Geralda had been replaced by Annie though he secretly admits that Geralda had kinda grown on him. "You wanna hold her too?"

"Can I?"

"Of course! Hey, Lo, Bambi wants to hold his sister," Bucky informs his girlfriend who'd walked over to the pair, her hand on Bucky's back as they watched their family all but drool over their baby.

"Of course, darling," Loki agreed and walked forward to take Emilie from Wanda who looked like she'd been holding in her breath for fear of dropping the baby.

Bucky sits Tony down on an armchair with a cushion on his back so he could lean back and positioned his arms so Loki could lower the baby into them.

"Hi Annie," Tony whispers to the baby who blinks up at him, her tiny mouth stretching into a barely there smile before yawning. "I'm your big brother, Tony, and I'm gonna love you sooo much. Forever and always."

Tony leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before sitting back up with a smile on his face, unaware of the pictures the others were taking. Emilie was fast asleep soon after that, safe and warm in her older brother's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to update Friday, but I forgot it was Valentine's Day and your girl has plans with her man
> 
> tony's going to call his baby sister Annie and it's going to be just their thing and it's all precious and sweet and i'm in tears ;-;


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's the point of having such a big family if you have no one around to at least give you a hug?

The first few days pass by in a quick and tired blur. It's easy to adjust to life with a new baby at home. All Emilie really does is eat, cry, sleep, cry some more, sleep some more and use her diaper an awful amount of times. And Tony, well he was wherever Annie was just watching over her and making sure she was safe.

If she was in the living room sleeping in her bassinet, then he was coloring quietly next to it and throwing glances at the baby occasionally. It was sweet to see him so worried, but he didn't do anything else for being so attached to the baby.

"Your Uncle Steve is taking Sleipnir and Peter out for ice cream and Hela's going out with MJ, are you sure you do not want to go with Steve?" Loki asks her six year old as she changes Emilie's diaper in the master bedroom, Tony laying on the bed next to the baby and playing with her little fingers.

"No. I wanna be with Annie," Tony replies as he gives a little kiss to the baby's fingers, giggling when she curled them and Loki smiles as she finishes zipping up the footie pajamas Emilie was wearing.

"Alright." Loki smiled over at him and then picked up Emilie. "Have your brothers bothered you again?"

"No. Petey told them to stop." Tony gets up from the bed and follows his mommy back downstairs where his papa was currently watching TV laying on the couch. "Hi papa!"

"Hi, Bambi," Bucky greets him with a big smile, picking up his son and placing him on his chest. "You helped your mom change Emilie's diaper?"

"No! That's gross. You're silly, papa." Tony snuggled into his father and yawned, the soothing circles Bucky was drawing on his back quickly making him fall asleep.

*

Loki and Bucky aren't sure when things change. One minute Tony is found wherever Emilie is, looking after her and making sure whoever is holding her doesn't drop his baby sister and suddenly a week later he can't even stand to be in the same room as her. It's strange, but they think it's just a phase, or maybe he's having a bad day, so they just brush it off for now.

It's not.

Tony loves his baby sister, but he also can't help but to feel jealous. Before she came along, he was the baby of the family and everyone always had time for him. Now his mommy is constantly doing one thing or another with or because of the baby. His papa is tired often, but also always with the baby. His older siblings are... around. They either go out into town, or Peter heads back to Queens to stay with his Aunt May and don't get Tony started on Jor and Fen. They tease him too much but Tony doesn't want to be a tattletale so he keeps it quiet. And Sleipnir headed to Asgard with their grandma after she came to meet Emilie so Tony's been feeling more than a little alone lately.

What's the point of having such a big family if you have no one around to at least give you a hug?

It's three weeks after Emilie's birth when the rest of the team move into the compound and it brightens Tony's spirits a tiny bit.

"Uncle Thor!" Tony shouts excitedly when he sees the blonde God of Thunder, rushing up to the man who grins and crouches down with his arms open for a hug. Tony crashes into his uncle and wraps his arms around his neck, snuggling into the man who holds him tight and then stands up with Tony in his arms.

"I have missed you, little one!" Thor tells him loudly and Tony grins, glad that someone still loved him enough to miss him. "Have you been alright?"

Tony merely shrugs and continues to soak in his uncle's love and affection, taking it all in as if he were touch starved.

Thor frowns a little at his nephew's response, but before he can ask the child about it, Loki walks into the communal living room with a wide awake Emilie in his arms. Tony frowns thinking his uncle is going to set him down so he can carry the baby, but is pleasantly surprised when he doesn't.

"Well you've certainly looked better," Thor teases his younger brother who glares at him.

"And you could look worse if I wanted to," Loki responds before his gaze falls on the six year old in his brother's arms. "Anthony, darling, I thought you were with your brothers?"

"They're not home," Tony mumbles his reply, refusing to look at his mother and feeling more than a little hurt that he hadn't even noticed if he was home or not. "Uncle Thor?"

"Yes, young one?" His uncle asks and Tony looks up at him to see the worry in his blue eyes.

"Can I go visit grandma and grandpa?"

"Anthony, I told you we would go once your sister is a bit older," Loki tried to remind his son who shook his head.

"I wanna go now, not with you or papa. I wanna go stay with grandma and grandpa because at least they love me!" Tony shouted angrily, wiggling in his uncle's arms until the man set him down and he ran off, nearly colliding with Wanda as his tears blurred his vision.

"Tony? Sweetie, what's wrong?" She called worriedly, trying to stop him but Tony only dodged her attempts and rushed off to hide.

"He's upset, Lo, and it's understandable," Thor told his brother who'd sat down on the couch numbly, Emilie now sleeping in her bouncer beside him. "I'm not an expert, but I do know what he is going through. It's a hard transitional period for him, but I can talk to him."

"Please," Loki begs his brother who nods and gives his shoulder a light squeeze before heading off to find his nephew, not even bothering to ask FRIDAY because he knew the AI would be forever loyal to her creator.

Thor eventually found Tony out in the garden with Brownie curled up sadly beside him as he cried on the outdoor couch. The god made his way over to him and sat next to the six year old who leaned into him.

"Care to tell me what has you so upset, my dear child?" Thor asks as he runs his fingers through Tony's curly hair.

"I-I feel so alone!" Tony sobbed brokenheartedly.

It hurt Thor to see him so upset, but he understood. Even though Thor had been much older than Tony when his father had brought Loki home, it'd still been very hard for the blonde to accept the change. He'd gone from being an only child to suddenly being an older brother.

"Can I tell you something?" Thor asks him as he pulls the child onto his lap, rubbing his back as he stared out into the endless sea of grass. He felt Tony nod against his chest and continued. "I was pretty upset as well when Loki came along. He had my mother's entire attention, my father was constantly in and out of meetings with the rest of the council to talk about the aftermath of a war Asgard had just won and I myself was always in my chambers because I had no one."

"R-Really?" Tony hiccuped as he looked up at his uncle with large sad brown eyes.

"Really. Logically, I knew I could not blame my new baby sibling since Loki was just a baby, much like Emilie herself, and I knew he needed a lot of care. It just feels confusing when your family grows by one more person, does it not?"

"Mhm. Papa's always sleeping now and mama's so busy feeding or changing Annie or when Annie's sleeping, mama's doing other boring chores. It's too much, Uncle Thor."

"I know. Having a baby around is always a big change, especially for you since you were the youngest for so long."

"And Fenrir and Jormungand are mean to me a lot now, Peter's with Aunt May and Hela's either with Aunt Tasha or with MJ and I miss Sleipnir," Tony listed off all the problems he's been facing since Annie came along. "I love Annie, but I miss my family even more."

Thor smiles sadly and brings the child into his arms to hold him tight and let him feel like he has someone who's still here for him.

"Things will settle down and start to feel normal again soon, I promise. And once Emilie starts to grow, you are going to love being an older brother," Thor informs Tony with a large grin.

"Do you like it?"

"Of course! It is one of the best jobs in the entire Nine Realms, little one!" Thor exclaims as he throws his arms around in a wild gesture which earns him a little giggle from the child. "You will get to teach Emilie many things and protect her from monsters, comfort her when she is upset, play and do many more things together. You just will have to be patient for now. It is not only hard for you, but also your mother and father and possibly the rest of your siblings as well."

Tony nods in understanding, though he also felt plenty excited for what was to come.

"They never meant to forget about you, Anthony. They all love you so much, as do I and the rest of the Avengers," says Thor in a much quieter voice as he holds eye contact with the child who smiles timidly at him. "You shine so bright, little one, no one could forget you."

"Is that why my Uncle Steve calls me his little star?" Tony wondered, head tilted to the side like a curious little puppy.

"Aye! You are the brightest star in the entire galaxy!"

Tony grinned and snuggled back into his uncle, enjoying the warm weather and letting his eyes slip shut.

"The brightest," he hears his uncle whisper one last time before he's fast asleep.

*

Loki was pacing the length of the living room, heart beating anxiously as he waited for his brother to return with his child.

He hadn't meant to push Anthony away. Nor make him feel like he was being forgotten. Things had been difficult since bringing Emilie home and he wasn't even sure how he hadn't collapsed yet from how tired he is.

Even Loki who was only half Jotun, consumed more meals than a regular mortal did and well James was a super soldier and he ate basically as much, if not more than he did and well Emilie has definitely taken after both her parents and fed more than regular Midgardian infants did and slept a little less. And also, eating more also meant lots more diaper changes and Loki was not happy about being stuck on poop patrol all the time simply because James had nearly gagged the one and only time he attempted to change a poopy diaper.

He'd seen James fight from Doombots to mutated creatures without so much as batting an eye, but he couldn't change a single messed up diaper? His hero.

And Loki couldn't help but to blame himself for having let Anthony skip out on his therapy sessions since moving back into the compound. His doctor could have helped him with this transition in his life much better than Loki and James have handled it.

"Loki," Thor calls quietly as he enters the room and the mage stops pacing to turn to face his brother who's carrying a fast asleep Anthony.

"Oh thank the Norns," Loki breathes out as he rushes forward and gently takes his baby from Thor's arms.

"I had a chat with him, a big brother to big brother chat and I feel like he is a bit more at ease now that I was able to relate to what he is going through."

"Thank you," Loki tells Thor who nods.

Loki heads back to their wing of the compound with Anthony cradled in his arms and placing soft kisses to his forehead. Once he entered the living area, James was up from his seat and rushing over to greet them.

"Thor talked to him, but I was thinking we could set up a video conference with Anthony's therapist," Loki tells his boyfriend who takes the six year old into his arms carefully, trying not to wake up the child who doesn't even twitch.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea," James agreed as he kisses Anthony's head before turning to head upstairs, Loki following after him.

Checking in the nursery quickly, he finds Emilie still fast asleep and so he heads into Anthony and Sleipnir's room where James is putting the child in his bed.

"It has been hard, has it not?" Loki asks his boyfriend who nods.

"Who knew having seven kids was going to be difficult?" James jokes and Loki rolls his eyes as he leaves the room after placing Gerald next to his child.

"So we're definitely not goin' for an eighth?"

"You are asking to get stabbed, Barnes."

"You're adorable," says James as he rushes after his boyfriend.

*

When Tony wakes up, he finds his mama sitting next to him on the bed with Brownie on his lap.

"Did you have a nice nap, darling?" His mama asks him and Tony nods as he stretches on the bed.

"Where's papa?" Tony asks as he sits up.

"Trying to gather the courage to change your sister's poop filled diaper." Tony giggles loudly and when Brownie rubs off, he climbs onto his mama's lap and cuddles into him. "I want to apologize for not realizing how much of a difficult time you were having, Anthony."

"I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't mean to be mean, mama," Tony mumbles as he buries his face in his mama's chest. "I know you and papa love me."

"You were not mean, baby boy. You were just upset about all the changes and your reaction was reasonable," Loki says reassuringly as he rubbed Tony's back and kissed the top of his head. "Your papa and I made you an appointment with Dr McGowan for tomorrow and this time, we are not going to quit your appointments just like your papa still goes to see his therapist every other week."

"Okay."

"Loki I can't do this!" Bucky shouts from down the hall and Tony starts to laugh hysterically and Loki groaned as he stood up with Tony in his arms.

"Your father is useless," Loki mumbles and it only makes Tony laugh even harder as the mage takes them to the nursery where sure enough, his papa looks seconds away from passing out.

Tony is set on the ground once they reach the nursery and he giggles when he sees his baby sister laying on the changing table in just her diaper.

"Completely useless, you are," Loki scolds his boyfriend as he heads towards the fussy baby while Bucky goes over to pick up Tony and hide his face in the kid's shirt.

"That shit is nasty, Lo. How can something that small make something so disgusting?" Bucky argues completely horrified by the situation as he points an accusing finger at Emilie who gives a small whimper.

"All babies are disgusting and you will learn to deal with it without fainting."

"Cover your nose, Bambi, your sister is a poop bomb," Bucky tells the six year old who giggles but does as he's told.

It was all going to be alright.

"Oh Norns," they hear Loki mumble in disgust.

So maybe his baby sister really was a poop bomb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was 14 when my little sister was born and i went from being the youngest to being the middle child, so obviously like tony, i struggled an awful lot with the change in our family. seven years later and she's the best gift i've ever gotten😊😊
> 
> i never once changed any of her poopy diapers, but now that i am babysitting a toddler, holy fucking shit it's like living in a nightmare😂😂


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony kept rambling about sleep and about his future alpaca that apparently Bucky had promised he would get. Loki glared at his boyfriend who frowned as he thought back to when he made the child such a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are mentions of past underaged sex and a very brief mention of domestic abuse/toxic relationships towards the very end :)

The sound of a baby crying interrupted the quiet of the night for the third time in less than four hours. Emilie wasn't having a good night and neither were the inhabitants of the Barnes family.

"Your turn," Loki tells his boyfriend, eyes still closed and reaching behind him to hit the man awake. Bucky groans in pain when Loki manages to land a hit on his face.

Bucky grumbled moodily but got out of bed and headed over to where Emilie laid in her bassinet wailing and flailing her little limbs around desperately. Picking her up gently, he checked her diaper only to find it dry so he took her over to Loki.

"She's hungry," Bucky tells his boyfriend who sits up as FRIDAY turns the lights on on the lowest setting.

"She ate an hour ago," Loki reminds him as he takes a now whimpering Emilie into his arms and cradles her to her chest.

"Well she wants something," Bucky mumbles in irritation as he gets back under the covers, looking over when the bedroom door opened.

"What's wrong with Annie?" Tony asks tiredly as he climbs up on the bed, over his father and settles in between his parents so he can take a look at his baby sister who's still upset over who knows what. "Is she sick?"

"No, darling, she is just having a rough night," Loki explains after having attempted to feed Emilie who only wailed louder, upset that her parents couldn't figure out what she wanted.

"Don't cry, Annie," Tony says softly as he leans against his mama and reaches a hand out to wipe away his baby sister's tears. "I wanna hold her."

Loki shares a look with Bucky who nods, silently hoping their son would have better luck at calming Emilie down than them. The mage places the nearly month old infant in Tony's arms and is quite shocked when Emilie actually quiets down a bit.

"You gotta sleep, Annie. Sleep is good. Like, very good," Tony begins to tell his sister, his arms wrapped around her protectively and tucking her blanket nicely around her so she was all bundled like a burrito. "I love sleep."

Tony kept rambling about sleep and about his future alpaca that apparently Bucky had promised he would get. Loki glared at his boyfriend who frowned as he thought back to when he made the child such a promise.

And Emilie? She was fast asleep in no time and Tony's rambling trailed off halfway through his future wedding with Teddy as he too fell asleep, still holding onto Emilie.

"We should call Tony in like all the time," Bucky whispers as he takes Emilie from Tony gently while Loki tucks Tony in bed with them, too tired to have to carry him to his room.

"We are the parents, not Anthony," Loki replies as he leans down to kiss the six year old's head. "Some days are harder than others. This will not be the first time we will not know what to do."

Bucky got back in bed on Tony's other side and FRIDAY turned off the lights as they settled down to hopefully, sleep for the remainder of the night.

*

"Hold her," Loki mumbles tiredly as he hands Emilie over to an unprepared Steve Rogers who's been sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee for the last half an hour.

"Um okay," Steve replies completely confused as he brings Emilie to his chest, one hand on the back of her head and the other under her bottom to support her. "Everything okay? Where's Bucky?"

"Talking with the lawyers," Loki replies distractedly as he searches the cupboards for his favorite tea. Steve watches a little amused as Loki opens the cupboards above the sink and just stands and stares like he suddenly forgot what he was doing.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, just had a rough night and the kids decided they want to live on Midgard now and we need to get them legal documents and all the lovely stuff."

Steve chuckled and pressed a kiss to Emilie's little head, the baby sleeping on against his warm chest. He hummed a little as Loki went about preparing his tea, cursing a few times as he either spilled something or added syrup instead of honey. How that happened is beyond Steve's understanding, but he could only assume that the mage was beyond exhausted.

"So it's a for sure thing they want to stay here? Be normal teens?" Steve asks Loki once the mage had his tea prepared and set it on the table.

"Yes. While a part of me is overjoyed at the idea of having all of my kids with me for the first time in centuries, I can also already feel all the headaches having all of them together will bring."

Steve chuckled quietly and looked up when Bucky entered the kitchen with the bassinet and a smile on his face. Loki raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend as he sat next to Steve who gently placed Emilie in her bassinet.

"How'd it go?" Steve asks his best friend who takes a seat next to Loki who leans into him tiredly.

"It went great! The lawyers said they'd have everything drawn up in a couple of days and not only that, but I've also got a surprise for not just the kids, but also you, Lo," Bucky replies with a giant grin on his face and Loki is too tired to even react.

"Well that's good. Are you going to tell the kids right away?"

"Not yet. They don't even know we've been talkin' with the lawyers about this so it'll be a good surprise for them." Bucky's smile widened as he wrapped an arm around Loki's shoulders.

Footsteps approached the kitchen and Loki sat up and smiled when a tired looking Tony walked into the room.

"Hi, Bambi," Bucky greets him with a smile, but the child ignores them all in favor of checking in on his baby sister. "Hmm, I love being ignored."

Steve snorted as he continued to drink his coffee. Tony eventually went around to greet his Uncle Steve first, then his papa and finally his mama who pulled him onto his lap to cuddle him.

"Hi darling, how was your talk with Doctor McGowan?" Loki asks as he rests his head on top of Tony's closing his eyes and stifling a yawn.

"It was good, but I wanna take a nap," Tony mumbles, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes.

"Why don't you two go sleep for a bit? Stevie and I can hold the fort for a while," Bucky tells his boyfriend who nods and stands up with Tony in his arms.

"Wake me up if Emilie wakes up hungry," Loki informs Bucky who nods and watches the two leave.

"That bad of a night?" Steve asks as he finishes his coffee.

"Oh you have no idea. Emilie woke up an awful amount of times, not because she needed a diaper change or because she was hungry, but because she missed Tony," Bucky explained and Steve's eyebrows rose up in confusion. "She'd only calm down and fall back asleep if he was holding her and talking to her."

"Huh, now that's something different."

Bucky nodded and looked up when Peter entered the kitchen, he too looking tired even though he'd been at May's all week and had just gotten in earlier that morning.

"What's with the lazy family today?" Steve teased the spider teen who shuffled his way to the refrigerator after stopping to press a kiss to Emilie who didn't even stir. "Late night patrolling?"

"Stopped quite a few robberies and a douche bag from forcing himself onto this girl," Peter said the last part a little angrily as he poured himself a glass of apple juice.

"Well your mom and Tones are taking a nap if you wanna head off and get some sleep. I'm lookin' after Em for a bit," Bucky explains to the teen who nods and then once he's done with his juice, heads off to get some sleep as well.

"Now I'm getting tired," Steve jokes and laughs when Bucky turns to glare at him.

"Don't you dare leave me alone, Rogers," Bucky hissed.

"Still can't change poopy diapers?"

"No," Bucky admitted in defeat and Steve tried hard to keep his laugh down since Emilie was sleeping next to him.

*

Peter was watching in clear amusement as his father tried to gather the courage to open up Emilie's poopy diaper. Loki was currently taking a bath and Hela had taken one sniff at Emilie and had quickly handed her off to their dad while Tony had fled the room giggling. He probably went off to tell the other Avengers who liked to remind Bucky how much of a coward he was for not wanting to change a diaper.

"She's going to get a rash if you keep thinking about this longer," Peter teases his dad from where he sat in the rocking chair and flipping through a small book with a large colorful number on each page. "And mom's not going to come rescue you. He's probably not coming out of the bathroom until FRIDAY tells him you finally managed to change a diaper. Right, FRI?"

"Affirmative, Peter!" FRIDAY replies cheerfully and Peter grinned.

"You two are grounded," Bucky tells them, turning to glare at Peter who laughs.

"You cannot ground someone who is not on the ground," FRIDAY informs Bucky who turns his glare up at the ceiling.

"All of my children rebel against me. Unbelievable." He turns to Emilie who's wiggling around on the changing tablein obvious discomfort. "Hopefully you'll be the one good kid out of the bunch."

"So you and mom are not planning to have more?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Bucky turns to look at Peter, clearly still stalling, and the teen shrugs innocently.

"I'm just surprised Emilie wasn't born sooner."

"You still haven't changed that diaper?" Comes Natasha's voice from the doorway and they both look over to see the blonde spy with her hands on her hips and looking very unimpressed.

"Dad's a wimp," Peter tells her before rushing out of the room as Bucky made a move to chase after him.

*

The call comes two days later and Bucky's the one to answer it in private. Loki's suspicious afterwards. Bucky's got a big grin on his face when he returns and all he tells them is that they're having dinner without the team for once. Just the family in private and that he's cooking. Which is even more suspicious to Loki since Bucky doesn't cook all that often for them even though he's gotten a lot better.

"So why are you so happy?" Fenrir asks his father as he sits at the island watching the man chop vegetables and pull out ingredients for the fajitas he was making for dinner.

"Just got some really good news earlier and I want to share it with the rest of you guys after dinner," Bucky replies casually, though he was bursting at the seams with happiness.

"I'm onto you, grandpa."

"Get off the counter and come help me."

Fenrir grumbled but did as he was told. Tony and Sleipnir walk into the kitchen giggling and their heads bent over a tablet that Sleipnir was holding. Loki walked in a few seconds after with Emilie in her arms and wide awake, dressed in pink floral leggings and a shirt that read "I'm the Princess, Mom is the Queen".

"Look who's awake," Bucky cooed at his daughter who simply curled a tiny fist into Loki's shirt. "Did she eat?"

"Yeah," Loki replies and smiles when Tony walks over and places a kiss to Emilie's little foot, which was as far as he could reach her. "Probably won't be long before she falls asleep again."

"Wish I had that life," Fenrir comments with a wishful smile on his face and they hear Peter snort from the living room along with Jor's quiet chuckles.

"That's all you do," Peter replies from the living room and Loki hides an amused smile behind Emilie's head.

"I do not, Porker!"

"Mom!"

"Enough, you giant babies," Loki scolded the two teens who huffed unamused at the insult. Tony and Sleipnir just giggled at the bickering and went over to sit at the table.

They all eat dinner, Emilie fast asleep in her bassinet in the living room and the dinner table was loud as usual. Bucky sat at the head of the table watching his children and the love of his life with a big smile on his face.

"So are you going to tell us why you've been so happy all day?" Fenrir asks their father once they were more than halfway through with dinner and everyone turned to look at him with various degrees of impatience.

"Well, your mother and I have been in talks with the lawyers these last few days and I finally got a call back with great news," Bucky tells them.

"Um you guys aren't getting divorced, right?" Peter asks worriedly as he stares between his parents who quickly shake their heads.

"They can't get divorced if they aren't married, dumb-butt," Fenrir scolds his brother who glares at him.

"We are not starting this again," Loki warns them. "I will ground the both of you again if needed."

"Um but I leave next week," Peter pointed out to his mother with a slight frown.

"Are you not returning?"

Peter sinks in his seat as Jor smirks at him and Hela shakes her head, clearly done with the boys in her family. Tony and Sleipnir were watching the whole thing like an interesting tennis match while eating slowly.

"Anyways, since you kids want to stay on earth and experience life as normal kids, we had to get you guys legal documents so you could do so," Bucky begins to explain, "and well all your birth certificates and such are currently on their way."

"So we can go to school?" Hela wonders excitedly.

"As soon as this next school year starts, you will. And not only that, I uh also decided to make you guys officially my children, so in your birth certificates I will appear as your father and you will have my last name as well."

There was silence around the table for a few seconds before there were surprised and teary exclamations and all four of Loki's children rushing out of their seats to go hug their father.

"Thank you, dad," they all said and Bucky held onto them tightly.

Later that night, once all the kids had finally gone to bed, Loki and Bucky headed to their room where the mage wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and broke into tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Bucky asked worriedly as he held onto his girlfriend tightly.

"I just- you have done so much for the children and I and this, what you just did, it means a lot, James," Loki explains as she pulls away slightly to look up at him, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Their biological father was never interested in the role you have taken on. All he contributed with was helping me make them and I was always foolish to think that perhaps some day he would come around and we could all be a family."

"Even if you didn't love him?" Bucky questions as he brings a hand up to wipe away her tears.

"Even if I did not love him. I just wanted my children with me and give them a family and perhaps Odin would not have taken them away from me, but all that does not matter now because we have you, Anthony and Peter and we are all together like I always wanted."

"I told you from the very beginnin' that I was goin' to love them as if they were my own and that's what they are to me. They are my kids just like Tony is my kid and just like Peter is my kid." He kisses her forehead before resting his there and closing his eyes, their fingers now laced together as they stood in the center of their room. "I didn't even have to think twice about doin' this. The moment they told us they wanted to live with us, I just knew I wanted to make them mine legally."

"Thank you," Loki whispers, a small smile tugging at her lips as her green eyes locked with his icy blue ones.

"You've never told me anythin' about their father," Bucky comments later once they're both in bed, Loki tucked into his arms and resting her head on his chest.

"He was someone I thought I was in love with. I was very young when we met and he was already over three centuries older than me," Loki began to explain, "I thought I was in love with him, but after awhile I came to realize I was just rebelling against my family. My brother always scared away anyone who might have been even the slightest bit interested in courting me."

"Well your brother is plenty scary."

Loki snorted and continued her story. "By Midgardian standards, I was barely thirteen the first time we had sex. Hela came about shortly after that and he had me move in with him. We lived together for quite awhile, but since he was an Asgardian warrior, he was away on one battle or another more than he was home. I had just found out I was pregnant with Sleipnir when he did not return home. Killed in action, my brother told me and I was forced to move back into the palace and once Sleipnir was born, Odin took the kids away from me. Said that that was my consequence for having spread my legs to the first man who talked pretty to me."

"Fuck, Lo." Bucky tightened his grip on her, unable to believe that Odin had done that while Loki had been grieving the death of her children's father.

"Shortly after that my relationship with Odin just grew from bad to worse and it is not something I plan on forgiving him for."

"Do you miss him? Their father?"

"Norns no," Loki spits out with a scoff. "Our relationship was the definition of toxic. Hela still remembers the amount of times she would walk in on me attempting to heal my injuries after another round of fight, punch and fuck. I only grieved him because I had just lost the safety net he provided because as long as I was living with him, Odin would have never dared touch me or my children."

Bucky didn't want to think wrong about Odin. He knows wars bring casualties but with the children's father out of the way, Loki was defenseless and it was the perfect excuse for Odin to drag Loki back to the palace and keep ruling over him. He really didn't want to take his thoughts in that direction, but it was all a little too convenient.

"How'd he die, if ya don't mind me asking."

"Never knew. There was no war at the time and he had left early in the morning to go do a job in the village and then just before nightfall, Thor arrived with the news that he was dead. Gave no explanation and I was not allowed to attend the funeral. If there was one. He had no family left," Loki mumbles as she brings a leg over to interlace it with one of his.

"You find it suspicious, don't you?" Bucky doesn't have to be looking at Loki to know she was frowning and looking confused.

"Of course I do, even Thor did for awhile, but we have both left that in the past and remembering him is not something that I like to do. I have you and a future to look forward to."

Bucky only smiled and hugged Loki tighter as he closed his eyes. He briefly wondered if Odin would have done the same thing had he not had a sudden change of heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm working on a new loki/bucky story because apparently that's my new otp now😂😂
> 
> also, updates might be coming a bit slower than normal, but that's because i've hit my mid writing crisis, as i like to call it. also known as my "i have no idea why i'm doing this" phase


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fourth of July was always a big deal for the Avengers, not only because it was Steve's birthday but also because it was a national holiday.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Steve!" Tony shouted early that Fourth of July morning, running up to his uncle with wide open arms and a large grin on his face.

"Thank you, mo stoirín!" Steve says as he picks up the six year old and receives a kiss and a big hug from him.

"Papa says you're old. Like a hundred years old," Tony comments as he pulls back from the hug to look at his uncle, bringing a hand out to run across the man's growing beard. Tony really had a thing for beards. He was always playing with whatever man was either starting to grow a beard, or tugging on the longer ones.

"Well your dad is a year older," Steve informs the child who wrinkles his little nose and his eyes dart over to see his father who entered the kitchen with Emilie dressed in a red white and blue outfit. "And your mom and Uncle Thor are way older."

"Nuh uh. Mommies are ageless."

The half of the team who were in the kitchen all either cooed or laughed at his response while Pepper walked up to take Tony away from her boyfriend's arms and kissed his cheek.

"You are adorable and completely right," Pepper tells him with a smile and Tony grins wide and proud.

"Happy birthday, grandpa," Fenrir comes in next, congratulating Steve who doesn't even bother glaring at him anymore and instead pulls the teenager into his arms and hugs him tight despite his protests. "Ugh, old age is making you nostalgic."

"You secretly love all the hugs we give you," Steve teases him, squeezing him just a bit tighter and then letting go.

"The only hugs I accept are from Tony and Sleipnir... and mom," he said the last part quietly and Steve had to laugh and ruffle his hair.

"Adorable."

The rest of the Barnes family walked in and all congratulated Steve on his birthday, even Brownie barked up at him once before heading towards Tony who giggled and picked up his dog.

"Where's mean and spooky?" Clint asks as he starts to pile food onto his plate.

"You don't want to know what Emilie did," Bucky replies as he looks down at his daughter who was starting to doze off.

"She threw up on mommy," Tony chimes in, giggling and making disgusted noises.

"I really didn't wanna know," Clint mumbled as he stares longingly at his food, but shrugs and starts to eat anyways.

A few others made faces as well and Bucky kept staring at the poor one month old as if he expected her to start puking again.

"Mommy!" Tony greeted the mage as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, her long black hair pulled up into a ponytail and the blank t-shirt she'd been wearing earlier swapped for a white button down.

"Nice of you to join us," Steve teases her.

"Would have been nice to not get thrown up on," Loki argued back with a roll of her eyes and he laughed. "Happy birthday, Steven."

"Thanks, Sparkles."

Loki rolled her eyes again and went over to sit next to Tony who kept patting the seat next to him. Soon the seats at the table were full and the five around the island as well, the whole team was together for once and it felt great.

As they eat breakfast, plans were made for that afternoon. Who was in charge of the grill, the music, setting up the yard for the special occasion and so on.

The Fourth of July was always a big deal for the Avengers, not only because it was Steve's birthday but also because it was a national holiday. And now that they lived away from the city, Clint, Sam and Rhodey always went overboard with the fireworks. And today they really were going to go all out because aside from it being Steve's 100th birthday, it was also three days before Peter headed to Europe for a class trip for two weeks.

"I'll do the dishes," Wanda offered once they were all done and Vision immediately stood up to help her.

"Well Rhodes and I are heading into town to buy some last minute stuff," Sam announces as he and Rhodey stand up.

"Anyone need anything?" Rhodey asks them room.

"I want s'mores, please!" Tony shouts excitedly and they chuckle at his enthusiasm. "Lots of s'mores!"

"Enough for everyone but you are not going to eat more than three, got it?" Loki warned her son who pouted and huffed.

Steve caught the child's gaze and winked at him. He was the one who liked to spoil the kids, always giving them candy or a bigger slice of cake or an extra scoop of ice cream. He liked to be a fun uncle and leave all the rules to Bucky and Loki.

"Steve, you go be a birthday boy," Bucky tells him as everyone stands up and either leaves the kitchen or helps clean up their mess from breakfast.

"How do you be a birthday boy?" Steve wonders as he picks up Tony and Sleipnir and throws them over his shoulders like potato sacks which only has them laughing uncontrollably.

"Just go relax, don't do work."

"In other words, do not do what you normally do," Loki tells him in complete amusement, Emilie in her arms drooling on Loki's shoulder and Steve laughed.

"Fine. I'll go paint with the two little ones. You boys want to help me paint something pretty? Your Aunt Pepper wants to redecorate and buy some hideous paintings," Steve informs the two little ones who quickly agree.

"They are not hideous, Steven. You just don't like modern art," Pepper scolds her boyfriend as she follows after them.

Steve rolled his eyes and the two kids giggled again.

*

"Aunt May!" Tony shouts excitedly as he runs up to the woman who was walking across the yard with Happy to meet up where the rest of the family was already settled.

There were tables, red, white and blue balloons. The grill was up, coolers with drinks and music playing. The teens were in the pool while Cassie, Tony and Sleipnir had been running around with water guns and Natasha, Hope and Wanda were on lounge chairs tanning. Loki, Darcy and Pepper were sitting under the shade with the mage holding a wide awake Emilie. Jane and Thor were taking a walk around the garden.

The others were scattered around doing various activities, though Clint himself had a giant water gun and squirted whoever he pleased.

"Oh my little jellybean," May cooed as she hugged the six year old tight, pressing kisses all over his face. "You being good to your parents? Helping them around with Emilie?"

"Super good, but Annie is stinky," Tony tells her, wrinkling his nose and even Happy laughs at that. "Papa can't even change her diapers."

"Big scary soldier scared of a poopy diaper?" Happy teased Bucky who'd walked up to them and the man huffed though his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"You try changing a poopy diaper," Bucky argues back weakly as he picks up his son and gives him a glare to which only makes Tony giggle.

May only laughed and patted his back in mock comfort as she walked past them, going over to greet the birthday boy before making her way to Loki who was already out of her seat and taking Emilie over to May.

"Food's ready!" Sam shouted a few minutes later. "Come and get it!"

"Hot dog or hamburger?" Bucky asks his kid as he carries him over to the table where all the ingredients were placed.

"Hmm, both?" Tony wondered as he gave his father his best innocent face and Bucky chuckled.

"Let's get you a hamburger first and if you're still hungry after, then you can have a hot dog, deal?"

Tony huffed but agreed because even he knew he wasn't going to finish both.

Loki walks up to them followed by Sleipnir and Jor and Tony makes a face as his papa leans down a bit to kiss his mommy. They pulled away and Loki gave her boyfriend one of those looks that made Bucky want to drag her back in the compound and to their room.

Jor, having seen their exchange, quickly grabbed his food and left to go sit at a table with his older siblings, Ned and MJ. Tony and Sleipnir head off after them once their parents make their food and Bucky wraps an arm around Loki's waist to pull her close.

"You think we can sneak off for a bit?" He asks in her ear, smirking as she tries to suppress a shiver. "I'm sure Em's godparents won't mind watchin' after her for a bit and with everyone out here, we can have more privacy inside."

"I will tell Pepper," Loki tells him with a wink before walking off with a plate of salad that made Bucky wrinkle his nose in disgust. Ever since having the baby, Loki had been eating healthier despite having gone back to her pre-pregnancy figure not even a week after giving birth. It was her choice, since it was her body, but Bucky had liked the way her face had rounded out a little more and how she'd gained a few extra curves.

*

"Where are my mommy and papa?" Tony asks his Aunt Tasha who was sitting on a blanket on the grass under the shade, next to Emilie who was fast asleep in her bouncer.

"They'll be back in a bit, kitten," she replies, pulling him onto her lap and holding him as they watched the teens play a volleyball game. "Your dad needed help with something, you know how he is."

Tony giggled and leaned back against his aunt, looking up when his Uncle Steve joined them with a groan as he laid down on the blanket. Tony simply launched himself at the man who let out an 'oof' before wrapping his arms around the child.

"How long have they been gone?" Steve asks Natasha as he rubs Tony's back, the child laying comfortably on top of his uncle despite the hot sticky weather.

"Let them have their fun. It's only been an hour," Natasha replies with a smirk, green eyes darting to Emilie when she began to shift in her bouncer. "They don't get a lot of privacy."

Steve simply pouted and Tony started to doze off until Sleipnir ran up to them and threw himself on top of his younger brother and Steve.

"It's my birthday and you're all bullying me," Steve grunted as he rolled over onto his side, causing both children to fall.

"Uncle Thor and Sam are playing soccer with Peter and the others and they want to know if you want to play too," Sleipnir informs his uncle who thinks for a second before nodding.

"Don't be too rough with the kids!" Natasha calls after her boyfriend as Tony and Sleipnir head off after their uncle to watch the game as more Avengers join.

*

Loki's back arched off the bed, mouth open in a silent scream as she came for the... well she lost track after the third time. Or was it the fourth? She's pretty sure she blacked out at some point.

"Holy shit," Bucky said breathlessly as he pulled the vibrator out of his girlfriend who whined at the sensitivity. "Don't think we've ever gone for this long."

"We've never been completely alone," Loki points out after she recovers from another intense orgasm, struggling to sit up since her limbs felt like jelly at this point.

"True. Having so many kids has its cons." Bucky shrugs before hooking his arms around Loki's thighs and pulling her to lay back down on the bed. "I bet I can get one more out of ya."

Loki was too tired to argue and her pride was too big to turn down a bet so she just smirked and wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed in.

It takes them another hour before getting in the shower where Loki ends up on her knees with Bucky's dick down her throat. But by the time they rejoin the party, the sun is starting to go down and the Avengers are playing a very intense soccer game.

"Who's winning?" Bucky asks Peter, wrapping an arm around his spider teen's shoulders to watch the game.

"Steve's team even though Clint's team has been cheating all the time," Peter replies with a grin.

Loki went over to sit next to Pepper on the bench, legs still a little shaky and aching all over. The CEO just threw her a knowing look that the mage ignored. Wanda was off walking around with Emilie in her arms, occasionally cheering on the teams.

The game ended an hour later when Steve's team beat Clint's by nearly ten points and the sun was long gone. By then, Jane and Pepper had turned on the fire pit and Bucky had gone to get the stuff to make s'mores. Emilie meanwhile was wide awake in Loki's arms after being fed and Tony was pressing kisses to her chubby cheeks every now and then.

Fireworks went off sometime after nine and then the children were sent off to sleep and Thor brought out the Asgardian mead and Clint put music on.

The night was long for them, coming to an end just before the sun rose in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little short one cause writing's been kinda funky for me lately
> 
> a little fact, i low key wanted to turn bucky/loki into bucky/loki/steve but since i didn't, i've been getting my fill by writing loki & steve as sibling-in-laws 😭😂😂


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I miss Peter!" Tony whined a week after Peter left and a week until he returned. "I want him home!"

"Alright darling," Loki says softly as she pulls her teen into her arms and holds him tight. "Have fun and do not use the suit unless it is an emergency. Be a normal kid for once."

"I will," Peter replies, voice muffled where he's buried his face into her shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to savor the moment.

In just a few minutes, Peter would be heading off with his classmates to Europe for two weeks and there was a lump in his throat that he tried hard to swallow. He's never been far away from his family for so long and with his baby sister still being so small, Peter didn't want to miss anything at home. And he would have to go so long without cuddles from his spider baby.

"And please, do not wander off from the group, Pete," Bucky tells him as he lets go of his mother and the teen reassures them that he won't, but the looks he gets in return imply that they don't believe him. "We don't need to get a call from your teacher at two in the morning tellin' us that they can't find you."

"I won't, promise." Peter chuckles and lets his father pull him into a quick hug.

It was early in the morning, so Peter had already said his goodbyes to the rest of his siblings the night before knowing that Fenrir and Jor wouldn't bother waking up before the sun was even up. Tony had tagged along, mainly because he'd slept with Peter and had clung to the teen as he attempted to leave.

"Come here, spider baby," Peter says softly as he gets down on one knee and opens his arms for his little brother who'd been standing behind their mother with tears in his eyes and clutching his Gerald. Tony ran over and crashed into his arms, crying quietly as he clutched at Peter's shirt. "Hey, don't cry. It's just two weeks, spider baby. I'll be back before you know it and I'll bring you lots of presents, yeah?"

"I don' wan' presents, I wan' you," Tony mumbled into his neck and Peter just held the six year old tighter.

"And you will, soon. But in the meantime, I promise that I'll call you everyday, hmm?" Tony nods mutely, trying to press himself closer to his big brother in hopes of going away with him. "But while I'm gone, watch after Em and help mom out and make sure Fen doesn't sleep all day."

Tony giggles and pulls away from the hug to look at his big brother who wipes away his tears and kisses his forehead before standing up. Ned and MJ join them not long after, grinding and saying their goodbyes to them.

"Be safe kids," Bucky warns them, Tony in his arms and yawning tiredly.

"Yeah, no worries old man, we'll keep Parker safe," MJ jokes and Loki rolls her eyes fondly before pulling her teenager back into a hug.

"Ugh, mom, you're embarrassing me," Peter whined, though it was more for show because he leaned into the hug.

"Not more than you embarrass yourself, darling," Loki replies as she kisses his cheek before pulling away.

"Alright children, lets get going!" Their teacher shouts over the loud chatter of families saying goodbyes.

"Call us when you get there."

"Will do," Peter reassures his parents and gives Tony one last big hug.

"Bye!" All three teens waved at the family of three standing with their other parents as the teens began to climb the bus that would take them to the airport.

"Hey, Parker!" Flash calls once they're inside, twisting around in his seat to look back at Peter who was sitting with Ned a few seats behind him. "Is that your new mommy?"

"Why do you want to know?" Peter asks him with a frown.

"She's hot."

"Have some respect man, that's my mom you're talking about," Peter responds angrily and Flash simply sends him a smirk before turning around.

"He's just trying to rile you up," Ned points out though he too was glaring at the back of Flash's head.

"Ned's right. Don't let Flash get to you or otherwise you'll have a long two weeks," MJ chimes in from where she sat behind them with Ned's crush. "Anyways, lets hope for a fun two weeks with no troubles."

"Don't jinx it," Peter mumbles, suit safely tucked in his suitcase in case of an extreme emergency.

*

By the time they make it back to the compound, Tony is fast asleep in the backseat and the whole team is already up and about. Bucky carries Tony inside with one arm and his other hand on Loki's lower back as they make their way to the communal living area.

"How was it?" Steve asks when he spots the couple walk into the kitchen where they're all having breakfast, even all of Loki's kids who don't normally wake up so early.

"Hard. It's not the same as him going off to spend a week at May's. This time he's on a whole other continent with a whole ocean between us," Bucky admits, resting his cheek on Tony's head that was resting on his shoulder.

"At least he did not cry," Loki says teasingly, throwing her boyfriend a quick glance that had a few chuckling. "Is Emilie sleeping?"

"Woke up to be fed half an hour ago and I changed her diaper before she fell asleep again," Hela responds and Loki nods as she makes her way over to prepare her usual tea.

"I'll take him to bed," Fenrir offers his father as he walks up to the man who carefully hands Tony over, the child only whining a bit at the loss of contact but quickly relaxed when he was in Fenrir's arms.

"How hard do you think Tony's gonna take being away from Peter?" Clint asks the entire room.

"Very hard," they all reply instantly.

*

It was difficult. That first day without Peter, Tony is sad and quiet and clinging to anyone who would hug him. At dinner he stared at Peter's empty seat with longing and didn't even eat half of his meal before bursting into tears and crying out Peter's name.

Loki had to sit the child on his lap and hold him for the rest of dinner until he cried himself to sleep. He wakes up an hour later when Peter calls, telling them they'd finally arrived after a short delay in Paris. It helped brighten up Tony's mood, but he was a moping mess for the rest of the evening.

By the third day, Loki's had enough. After breakfast and making sure that Emilie was in good hands with Bucky, Loki gathered up the remainder of his children and took them outside.

"Um what are we doing?" Jor asks hesitantly as they walk further away from the compound.

"We are starting Anthony's training in controlling his powers," Loki explains once they're far away enough to not cause, hopefully, too much damage.

"Sweet! I've got so much stuff to teach the little one," Fenrir exclaimed with a very enthusiastic fist bump and Tony and Sleipnir both giggled.

"We are starting easy, Fen," Loki warns his son who pouts. "Your brother is still a long ways from learning the more complicated stuff and we cannot tire him out, either."

"Is it hard?" Tony asks as he fiddled with the bracelet his grandma had given him to keep his powers in check.

"No," Hela replies softly, a smile on her face as she brings her hand out, palm up, and a dark green ball of light dances above the tips of her fingers. "It just gets easier to control with time and practice."

"First, we are going to make sure that your emotions do not control the power," Loki informs Tony who nods with a slight frown. "Once we know you've got control over your powers, you will be able to remove the bracelet if wish to do so."

"Good, cause its kinda itchy," Tony replies and his siblings giggle at his response.

Meanwhile Bucky was watching them from the nursery's window, a wide awake Emilie in his arms and cooing happily.

*

"I miss Peter!" Tony whined a week after Peter left and a week until he returned. "I want him home!"

"Oh my gods!" Fenrir whined, clearly done with his little brother's constant whining. "Here's an idea, shut your eyes and think about where Peter is right now and maybe when you open them, you'll be there right now."

Tony stopped his whining to stare at his older brother who was busy scrolling through his phone.

Could it be possible? He wondered as he stared down at the bracelet that he could only take off during his lessons. His mama had told him how fast he was learning, perhaps what Fenrir suggested wasn't so hard to achieve. His mama could teleport from one place to another, though he wasn't sure how he could do that.

So Tony took off his bracelet and closed his eyes, thinking about Peter and London, where his older brother currently was. Tony panicked when he felt a breeze and change in surroundings, but didn't open his eyes until it felt stable and even then he wasn't awake long enough to figure out if it had worked or not.

"Finally, some quiet," Fenrir mumbles to himself before looking up from his phone and gasping when he didn't see his brother anywhere. "Oh no."

Tony wasn't laying on the ground where he'd previously been whining and all that remained was the bracelet.

"Oh no mom's going to kill me!"

*

Peter and Ned were in their hotel room with MJ, watching a movie, when the call comes. They would be heading down for dinner to meet up with Betty later when Fenrir's name flashes on the screen of Peter's phone.

"Hey, twin," Peter greets him with a grin, ignoring Ned's snort of amusement as he sat on the edge of his bed with MJ muting the movie so he could talk.

"Uh hey there my favorite brother, my twin and absolute best friend in the entire Nine Realms!" Fen greeted him nervously and Peter sighed.

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing yet, but say, has anything weird happened in the last like half an hour? Say someone popping up randomly in your hotel room or ya know, any magic?"

"No? Why? Fenrir, seriously, did something happen back home?"

"Uh not yet but you are formally invited to my funeral so-"

Fenrir was interrupted by Ned and MJ letting out weird noises as a glowing orange portal opened in the middle of their room and Peter dropped his phone in fright.

Doctor Strange stepped out with a weird lump cradled in his arms and covered protectively by the cloak who perked up excitedly when it saw Peter.

"Um hi?" Peter squeaked out, heart racing and trying to recover from that fright.

"I believe this belongs to you," Doctor Strange spoke in his usual monotone voice though there was a slight hint of amusement as his lips quirked up into a tiny smirk. The cloak moved back and Peter nearly choked on his own spit when he saw the sorcerer holding his baby brother who appeared to be fast asleep.

And suddenly Fenrir's nervous rambling made sense.

"What the fu-? How?" Peter asked as he raced over to the man and took his brother who didn't even stir which worried him even more. "Is he okay?!"

"Unsure. He appeared in the Sanctum awhile ago and mumbled your name before passing out. I am assuming he overexerted himself if he's a new magic user. Whoever is teaching him is doing a poorly job," Strange explained with a small scowl, eyes trained on Tony who seemed to smile in his sleep as Peter held him to his chest.

Peter brought his phone back to his ear and said, "so Fen, the strangest thing just happened to me..."

*

**Half an hour ago**

Wong was just walking down the stairs when, in a shimmer of red and gold, a child appeared in the middle of the room.

"Uh Strange get in here!" Wong shouted as he raced towards the child who passed out seconds after appearing.

"Wong, this better be good and this better not be another one of your messes I have to fix," grumbled Strange as he walked down the stairs, the cloak racing over to Wong and the child after spotting them and floating around nervously. "Who is that?"

"Loki's kid, you moron," Wong replies worriedly as he motioned for the cloak to pick up Tony which it did without having to be told twice and cradled the tiny child.

"You mean baby Stark?" Strange questioned as he followed after Wong and the Cloak who took Tony over to the small living area and set him on the couch. "I didn't know he did magic, but if Loki's raising him, I'm not surprised." Strange scoffed.

"Can you let go of your silly grudge against him? Loki's changed, Stephen and you're just as bad as that one news guy who keeps saying he's still a villain and controlling the Avengers along with Wanda."

Strange didn't say anything else as Wong began to fret over the child, sending the doctor a glare when he made no move to check his vitals or anything.

"Go get a glass of water for when he wakes up," Strange ordered Wong as he found Tony's pulse and timed it.

Strange could feel the inexperience the child had with his magical abilities and couldn't help but shake his head because if Loki was the one teaching this poor child, then he didn't want to find out what kind of future awaited him.

And maybe Wong was right. Loki had proven to have changed and had saved some poor unfortunate souls from getting eaten by mutated creatures or whatever villain the Avengers were up against, but for some reason the Asgardian just rubbed Strange the wrong way.

"Alright child," Strange mumbles as he did some complicated hand motions.

Tony woke up a minute later just as Wong returned with the glass of water and the cloak hovered around nervously.

"Tony, right?" Strange asked the kid who nodded, staring up at him with wide eyes.

They'd met once or twice, but it was never long enough for either to feel comfortable around each other. The last time Strange had seen the child, he'd been four and only Barnes had taken on the role of a parent.

"Peter?" Tony called out completely confused as he looked around the place with wide brown eyes. "You're not Peter."

"I'm Wong and this is Stephen Strange, can you tell us how you got here?" The shorter man questioned the child in a soft tone as he handed him the glass of water.

"Fen told me to close my eyes and think about where Peter was, but Peter's not here," Tony explained, shaking his head but still looking exhausted.

"I don't suppose your parents know where you are, am I correct?" Strange asked the child who shook his head. "Where did you exactly intend on going?"

"With Peter. He's in London," Tony replies, yawning and bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes as Wong takes the now empty glass of water. "I wanna go with Peter."

And with that, the child passed out again and Strange sighed.

"So what now? Are you going to call Loki? Take the child back to the Avengers?" Wong asked and Strange shook his head. "Of course you're not. Your pride and ego are too big for you to see him again. Did you guys have like a one night stand or something? You seriously can't stand the poor guy."

Strange didn't reply but it was answer enough for Wong was left wanting to know more of the gossip as Strange gathered the child and left via a portal.

**Present Time**

"He's here but I don't know why he's here or why Doctor Strange of all people showed up with him, so can my magical siblings explain what's going on before I start freaking out here?!" Peter asked frantically once the sorcerer had left after a very brief explanation that Tony had just suddenly appeared.

"Too late," Ned mumbled and MJ snickered which made Peter turn to glare at his best friends.

"Long story short the kid took what I said about finding you a little too seriously," Fen replied with a slight chuckle at the end but Peter certainly didn't find it funny. "We're currently hiding from mom and I say we have about ten minutes before she asks FRIDAY where we're at."

"Okay, uh well Tony is here with me, out cold, but safe. I think? I still don't understand why he's here? Or the how?"

"He teleported there, which proves our theory that he's probably a lot stronger than we thought," Fenrir explains a little quietly and Peter sits down on the edge of Ned's bed, running a hand through his hair before looking back at Tony who was laying on his bed now and had given his first sign of life by moving closer to MJ who was sitting next to him and stroking his hair.

"Have you children seen your brother?" Peter heard their mom ask and he let out an involuntary squeak that had Ned laughing at and MJ shaking her head in clear disappointment.

"Peter?"

"H-Hi mom!"

"What is going on? And why won't FRIDAY tell me where Anthony is?"

"Oh no," Peter heard MJ mumble and he froze when a familiar tiny voice called out to him.

"Peter!" Tony shouted excitedly as he sat up in bed, still looking a little tired but otherwise okay which had Peter sagging in relief.

"Anthony?!" Loki shouted from the other end of the line and the child froze on his way to hug his brother, face paling even more at the sound of their mom's voice.

"It's a recording?" Fenrir tried, but the silence that followed meant that Loki was probably glaring at him. "Hmm, right. God of Lies, I forgot. Have I mentioned how lovely you look today?"

"Just with your answers alone, I know you are somehow behind this. Explain. Now," Loki demanded.

While Fenrir explained everything again, Peter pulled his little brother onto his lap and smiled as the six year old cuddled into his chest, yawning tiredly but happy to be with his big brother again. Peter looked up when Ned and MJ headed out, saying something about dinner and the teen nodded as he moved to cuddle with Tony on the bed. He wasn't even hungry, everything that had happened had made him lose his appetite and he really didn't want to explain to his teacher why he had a kid.

"Oh my gods, how was I supposed to know?!" Fenrir whined through the line and Peter wasn't even surprised when a few seconds later the call switched to video and Loki's worried face filled the screen.

"How is he?" Loki asked softly.

"He woke up for like two seconds before falling asleep again," Peter explained as he looked down at Tony who seemed to be dead to the world. "Is that normal?"

"Hmm, very much so. I slept on and off for a whole week the first time I teleported farther than the palace." Peter nodded in understanding but that didn't mean the worry eased. "But it also took me years of practice to be able to teleport farther than the palace, so I really have no idea what we are dealing with here."

"He has been learning pretty quick," Hela commented as she came into screen. "Has great control so far, much better than I ever did."

"Yeah and I didn't start disappearing like that until my first century of life," Fenrir chimed in excitedly, shoving their sister out of the way with a grin and Peter had to hold back his giggles as a flash of dark green was shot Fen's way and he was pushed out of the way.

"Children," Loki hissed before turning his attention back to Peter. "Your father and I will be there in two hours to collect Anthony. If he wakes up again, tell him what's going to happen but make sure he does not take it as him being in trouble or else he might try teleporting away in his weakened state or otherwise he might end up somewhere else."

"Uh yeah speaking of, he first appeared at the Sanctum with Doctor Strange," Peter informs Loki who makes a face like he'd just eaten a sour candy.

"I don't like the negative vibe you're suddenly giving off," Fenrir commented as he shared a look with Hela and Jor. "Oh my gods that Strange guy is your ex!" Fenrir gasped and Hela and Jor's eyes widened

Peter's mouth opened in shock but before he could say anything, the call ended.

His mom and Doctor Strange? He really couldn't see it and he really didn't want to, but he was curious now. And he wondered if his pops knew anything, probably not though.

"Oh Tony, the secret your disappearance revealed," Peter says fondly as he strokes his baby brother's cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> loki/stephen strange is one of my favorite rare pairs so i just had to make a mention of it in here😂😂
> 
> lmao i had a whole different plan for this chapter. i was going to do far from home which would then blend into the secret invasion story line and then the problems with the accords which would lead to a sort-of civil war situation. it was a lot😂😂


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is it just me or is there tension between you two?" Clint asked curiously as he stared between Loki and Strange who were glaring at each other and Fenrir snorted, looking far too amused by the situation as he sat on the couch with Sleipnir on his lap.

"You and Strange?" Bucky asked in disbelief as he and Loki flew to London in one of the Quinjets.

"I doubt you want any details so I suggest you stop asking me," Loki snapped, leg bouncing up and down in clear anxiety as he kept his gaze locked on the sky ahead of them. "And why is it so hard to believe that I had a thing with someone that was not you or the children's father?"

"Um because it's Strange and he's not exactly... how do I put this," Bucky mumbled the last part to himself and Loki waited patiently though he guessed what his boyfriend was trying to say.

"Not in touch with his emotions? A cold hearted bastard? A robot when it comes to expressing emotions?" Loki listed off for him, lips twitching in amusement as Bucky snorted in surprise. "All true which is why we never worked. That and he couldn't stand the fact that I am better than him with magic."

"And when was this?"

"Shortly after joining the team. We never... he was not looking for anything long term and I was stupid enough to think that perhaps with time he would change his mind, but I am glad that he didn't," Loki finishes off softly as he smiles over at Bucky who smiles back before closing the distance and pressing their lips together.

"So what are we going to do now with Tony?" Bucky asked after awhile, looking over at his boyfriend who was playing with the bracelet the child had taken off.

"Unsure. Clearly Strange thinks I am a bad teacher, so I want him to be our absolute last resort in case Anthony's powers do seem to be stronger than we thought," Loki told him and Bucky nodded in understanding, and yeah, he really didn't want to ask Strange for help. At all. Like ever, and now that he knew, he wanted to keep Loki away from Strange but a part of him also wanted to rub it in the man's face. Make him realize that he missed out on having something great with someone great.

*

Peter's woken up to knocking on his hotel room door and for a brief second he wonders if Ned forgot his key card, but then he realizes he's curled protectively around a still asleep Tony and he scrambles out of bed realizing it was probably their parents who were knocking.

"Hi, sorry. I fell asleep," Peter apologized when he opened the door and let his parents in.

"It's fine, kid. Has Tony woken up?" Bucky asked as Loki headed towards the sleeping child.

"For a few minutes and I got him to drink some water, but he's been asleep since."

"That's normal," Loki answered with a nod as he sat next to Tony and ran his fingers through the child's hair. "Teleporting drains energy, especially during the first few times. He could be out for the rest of the day."

Bucky nodded in relief as he sat on Ned's bed and Peter went back to his previous spot, curled around Tony who shifted in his sleep and curled a hand around his shirt. Peter smiled and leaned down to kiss his baby brother's forehead.

Loki pulled out Tony's bracelet from his pocket dimension and slipped it back on the child, mumbling something under his breath and they all watched as the bracelet flowed bright green for a few seconds before returning to normal. Bucky looked at his boyfriend questioningly.

"So he won't remove the bracelet unless it is an emergency and during his training, only I will be able to remove it," Loki explained and Peter relaxes a little in knowing that Tony won't suddenly appear in his hotel room in the near future.

Just then the door opened and in walked Ned and MJ, arguing over something and only halting their conversation for a second when they spotted two Avengers in the room.

"Can you argue over your dinner choices later?" Peter asked his two best friends who huffed but did so anyways.

"How's the mini loser?" MJ asks as she sits on the bed next to Bucky who ruffles her hair affectionately.

"Still resting, but in a world of trouble when he wakes up," Bucky replies and Peter and Ned chuckle.

"And Fenrir," Peter adds and Loki nods, a smile forming on his face before he stands up from the bed.

"We should be heading out. The other kids are probably anxious and we have some thinking to do," Loki announces as he scoops Tony out of Peter's bed.

"Mama?" Tony mumbles, struggling to open his eyes and squints up at Loki who smiles down at him.

"How are you feeling?" Loki asks him, sitting back down on the bed with the six year old on his lap.

"Tired. And hungry," Tony adds afterwards, earning laughs from everyone in the room.

"Well how about we go for dinner? You kids wanna tag along?" Bucky asks all three teens as he stands up from the bed and stretches.

"We already ate, but sure," Ned agreed with a grin and MJ rolls her eyes.

"So do we inform your chaperone or-?"

"We get to do whatever after dinner as long as we're in our rooms by ten," Peter explained.

"I want food," Tony whined from where he was now perched on Loki's left hip, head resting on his mama's shoulder and looking seconds away from falling asleep again.

"Alright, lets go get some grub!"

"Grub," MJ snickers as the three teens lead the adults out of the room.

They head out into the city for dinner, Tony surprisingly managing to stay awake the whole time but sitting happily on his papa's lap. Ned and MJ had already eaten, so they get their fill with breadsticks and then dessert.

"We will see you in a week, darling," Loki tells his teen as he hugs him tight outside the hotel.

"I'll call tomorrow to see how he's doing," Peter says after hugging his parents goodbye.

"Bye kids!" Bucky waves at them as he carries a now fast asleep Tony back to where they parked the Quinjet.

"What a long day," Loki mumbles as they board the jet.

"And it's not even halfway over back home," Bucky reminded his boyfriend who glared at him.

*

"Doctor Strange is here," Natasha informs the couple once they get off the jet, Tony wide awake as he rushes out towards his Aunt Tasha who picks him up. "Gave us quite a scare, kotenok."

"Sorry," Tony apologizes sheepishly as he wraps his arms around her neck, giving her a shy little smile.

"Why is Strange here?" Loki asks the spy who looks down from the couple to the child.

"I suppose to make sure that the little one is okay."

"Or to continue insulting my teaching methods," Loki mumbles angrily as they head inside where they find Strange in the living room sipping from a tea cup calmly while various other Avengers sit around.

"Hi!" Tony greets his family, wiggling around until Nat sets him down and he rushes over to his Uncle Steve who picks him up and hugs him tight.

While the others gather around Tony, Loki and Strange stand farther from them to talk more privately.

"What are you doing here?" Loki asks the sorcerer who smirks.

"I am technically an Avenger, am I not? I came to make sure that child was getting proper training with his powers," Strange responded and Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, a little hurt that even after all this time, the man couldn't let go of his damn ego and admit that Loki had by far more experience than the former neurosurgeon.

"Well I am not training him to take over the world if that is what you are thinking or are worried about. I am training him so his powers will not lash out every time he has an emotional outburst. The rest will come when he is ready and older."

"I am not implying that he's going to take over the world."

"Well then stop sticking your nose in my business. That's my son, not yours," Loki spat out and went back towards where the rest of his family was still with Tony, Loki's kids having joined them now.

"Everything alright?" Bucky asked as he wrapped an arm around Loki's waist and pulled him close, throwing a weary glance at Strange who was watching the couple while sipping at his tea yet again. "Do I need to beat his ass." Both the sorcerer and Loki snorted and Bucky threw a glare at Strange who smirked at him.

"We both know you cannot beat his ass. I can beat his ass, but not you," Loki replied as he smiled up at his boyfriend who scowled at him. "Thank you for the offer though, but he is just being an asshole whose ego is as big as the entire Nine Realms."

"Still as beautiful as ever," Strange commented sarcastically and Loki had to hold his boyfriend back when he made a move to go after the smug doctor.

"Is it just me or is there tension between you two?" Clint asked curiously as he stared between Loki and Strange who were glaring at each other and Fenrir snorted, looking far too amused by the situation as he sat on the couch with Sleipnir on his lap.

"That's because mommy dearest dated the doctor turned wizard," Fenrir informed the team who all, minus Natasha and Wanda, looked shocked by the news.

"That part of my life is none of your concern, child," Loki snapped at his oldest son who shrugged. "It happened, it passed and I do not ever want to talk about that awful experience."

Sam and Clint winced and looked over at Strange who looked pretty neutral despite the situation. Natasha and Wanda were trying to conceal their chuckles and Thor was outright glaring at Strange.

"Uh... okay," Steve mumbled surprised, shaking his head and stepping up to diffuse the situation before it got bigger. Tony and Sleipnir were starting to look a little scared by all the sudden tension. "Lo, take Tony to his room, he's looking pretty tired still."

"Come on darling," Loki says softly as he picks up Tony who clings to the mage and the other kids follow after, sending Strange glares as they went and Bucky couldn't even hide the proud smile on his face, though he did sober up when Steve sent him a glare.

"Look, thank you for helpin' out with Tony, but do not ever mess with my family again. You may be the Sorcerer Supreme or whatever shit, but don't forget I was an assassin for decades," Bucky left the threat hanging before rushing off after his family.

When he reaches their wing of the compound, he finds Loki with an awake Emilie in his arms and the children all sitting around the two on the ground and laughing about something. They were missing Peter, but it was great to just be all together like this.

*

"FRIDAY said you were hiding here," Bucky says in complete amusement as he leans against the threshold of the bathroom door, eyes trained on his girlfriend who was in the bathtub with a ridiculous amount of bubbles and a wine glass in her right hand.

"I am not hiding. I do not hide, Barnes," Loki replied without even opening her eyes, her black hair pulled up into a high bun as she relaxed completely in the tub. "I am trying to find some peace in this chaotic day."

Bucky didn't say anything else as he began to remove his clothes before joining the mage in the tub. They shifted around carefully until he was able to sit behind her with Loki sitting between his legs and leaning back against his chest. Soft music was playing from the speakers on the ceiling and now that he paid more attention, the room smelled floral and fruity.

"Who did you leave the children with?" Loki asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"Natasha, the only one I trust to put them in line. The others are too soft with them."

Loki snorted as she moved her head to rest it back on Bucky's shoulder and he took the opportunity to kiss down her neck softly, hands coming around to rest on her flat stomach.

Loki let out a soft moan, legs parting automatically as Bucky's right hand began to dip lower and lower while his left traveled upwards to cup her breast.

"We need a whole day just for us," Bucky comments as he bites gently at Loki's earlobe.

"Hmm, we definitely do," Loki moaned as Bucky's fingers slipped between her folds.

"Mommy!" Tony was heard shouting from outside their locked bedroom door and the couple froze, eyes snapping open as the child banged desperately on the door.

"Guess hide and seek is over," Bucky mumbled though he made no move to get out of the water.

Loki merely sighed, drank the remainder of her wine in one long gulp before getting out. 'The water was getting cold anyways', she thought bitterly after one last longing look at the tub where Bucky remained.

~ ~ ~

Natasha jogged down the hall where Tony was currently banging on the closed door of his parent's bedroom, picking him up from behind and bracing herself for the struggle he would be putting up.

"Thought you said you wanted to bake cookies?" Natasha asked her nephew as she began to head towards the stairs, only turning her head when she heard the door open and winked at Loki when she poked her head out.

"But I wanna see my mommy," Tony replies with a pout.

"I'll let you talk to Yelena later if you let your mommy get some rest."

"Yeah! I wanna talk to Lena! I miss Lena."

Natasha took Tony over to the communal area of the compound where Fenrir, Jor and Sleipnir were watching a movie with Emilie sleeping in her bassinet beside them. Hela had gone off with Wanda, the two gossiping about their new favorite show which left Natasha in charge of the rest of the kids since Steve was training with the others.

"Sleipnir, Aunt Tash and I are making cookies, wanna help?" Tony asks his brother, skipping up to the child who nodded with a grin and hopped off the couch before following them to the kitchen.

"I want sugar cookies!" Fenrir shouted from the living room.

"Make them yourself!" Sleipnir shouted back and Natasha smiled at the two boys when they walked into the kitchen.

"What kind of cookies are we making?" Natasha asked them as she grabbed the ingredients and supplies needed.

"Hmm chocolate chip!" Tony announced.

"And sugar cookies," Sleipnir added quietly, cheeks flushing and Nat cooed at the child.

"You are an amazing and very thoughtful little boy, I'm sure your brother will appreciate it," Natasha tells Sleipnir, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek and keeping her chuckles to herself when the boy's face turned a brighter shade of red. "Alright boys! Are we ready to make some cookies?"

"Super ready!" Both Tony and Sleipnir shouted.

By the time Loki and Bucky and the rest of the Avengers arrived, the kitchen counters were filled with trays with all kinds of cookies and Tony and Sleipnir were two very dirty little boys.

"Hmm, I distinctly remember having two sons made of flesh and bone and not flour and eggshells," Loki teases as she stares down at her children who grin up at her innocently. "Shower, now."

They pouted and raced out of the communal kitchen while Clint grabbed cookie after cookie.

"Hey, you're eating my sugar cookies, stop it!" Fenrir shouted as he raced after Clint.

"I'll go help the kids clean up," Natasha offers Loki who's now holding a wide awake Emilie that Jor had carried in.

"Thank you," Loki tells her, lips pressed to Emilie's forehead as she bounced the baby around gently.

"So are we turning into Girl Scouts or something?" Sam questioned as he chewed on a chocolate cookie.

"Don't let Pepper hear you or she'll get the bright idea that we should sell cookies for charity or something," Steve jokes, but no one laughs because just then, Pepper walks in.

"That's actually a great idea, honey," Pepper says with a large grin and everyone in the room groans and glares at Steve who flushes embarrassed. "I had you guys sign up for a charity gala in August anyways, now I can just add a bake sale to your schedule for that week. You guys could always use a little more good publicity."

"Uh we are heading to Asgard to spend Peter's birthday with the in laws and so they can meet Em, so you can count us out of that gala," Bucky informs Pepper who turns to look at Loki to make sure they weren't lying.

"We really are spending all of August there, sorry," Loki apologizes though Bucky can hear the not so sorry tone to her words.

"Uh they've adopted me so I will be leaving-"

"No you won't and just for that, you'll work a double shift at whatever we sell," Pepper informs Clint who huffs and Wanda and Sam smirk at him while Fenrir looks victorious as he steals the remainder of his sugar cookies.

"Sounds like a fun time for you," Bucky teases the archer who just continues to eat more cookies.

Bucky couldn't even feel sorry for his teammates. Not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, i know it's been awhile but sometimes time off is necessary. i know time's are hard right now and i hope you're all doing good and taking the necessary precautions to stay safe. i, like many others, am currently unemployed and self-quarantined. i am doing my best to give you guys more frequent updates on all of my stories to give you guys a tiny bit of joy.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "At least we don't have to worry about a sea bear attack," Peter comments once they all settle around the fire and Loki and Bucky roll their eyes at their teen while his siblings snicker.

"But I don't wanna!" Tony whined as he eyed the bicycle his papa had gotten for him.

The whole Barnes family were outside one July morning, Bucky intent on teaching his children how to ride bikes. Hela and Fenrir had caught on quickly, Jor had taken one look at it and glared at his father before heading off to sit under the shade instead with his mother and Emilie and Sleipnir was very reluctant to get on his bike just like his baby brother.

"I promise it's fun," Bucky tells the younger two boys who looked about ready to run off. "Look, Hela and Fen are having fun, see?"

And just as Bucky said that, they all turned just in time to see Fenrir tip to the side and fall off his bike.

"I'm okay!" Fenrir shouted and Hela snorted while Peter laughed as he rode past in his own bike.

"Mommy!" Tony cried and ran off towards Loki who opened her arms for her son, Emilie laying on the blanket she was sitting on.

"Darling, it is not that scary. You know your brother is quite clumsy," Loki tried to reassure her child as he sat on her lap and cuddled into her.

"Heard that!" Fenrir shouted from the distance as he headed over to Sleipnir to try and convince him to get on his bike.

"And your father won't let you get hurt. He won't let go until you are ready to go on your own."

Tony frowned as he looked over at Sleipnir who was now on his bike and nodding along to whatever their papa and Fenrir were telling him. Both were holding onto the bike, Tony noticed. Loki meanwhile let the child make his choice and rubbed his back soothingly while making sure Emilie was still doing okay on her back. She'd been on her stomach earlier, but she got tired quickly Loki had turned her around.

"You promise they won't let go?" Tony asks his mommy, tearing his gaze away from where Sleipnir was slowly pedaling while their papa held the bike from behind and Fenrir gave encouraging praises to their brother.

"I promise and if they do, I will beat them up," Loki jokes, smiling wider when her little boy let out high pitched giggles. "Are you ready to go try?"

Tony hesitates for a second or two before nodding.

"I'll go with you," Jor offers Tony who smiles up at his brother. It was rare for the two to spend time together, since Jormungand was so quiet nowadays and preferred the company of his room or Fen, so Tony liked to soak up any moments he got with his older brother. He loves all of his siblings equally, but sometimes he felt like Jor didn't like him very much.

Jor holds his hand as they make their way to the bike where Peter was now waiting for them with a large grin. Sleipnir was now off pedaling slowly on his own with Fen nearby in case he fell.

"You ready to try, Bambi?" Bucky asks his kid as he jogs over to them.

"Mommy said she'd beat your ass if you let go and I fell," Tony informs his father whose eyes widen and Jor and Peter snicker in amusement.

"I will make sure to not let go, then," Bucky mumbles as he looked over at Loki who had picked up Emilie by now and was cooing at the one month old.

Tony got on the bike with shaky legs, feet slipping each time he placed them on the pedals and hands sweating as he gripped the handles.

"Alright, Bambi, now just slowly start to push on the pedals and try to keep the bike straight."

It was hard at first. As soon as he started to move his feet and the bike began to move, controlling the bike became hard. It kept wobbling and Tony felt like he was going to fall, but his papa was holding the back of the seat and two of his older brothers were on either side of him ready to catch him in case he fell.

The more he kept going, the more confident Tony began to grow and the more he enjoyed being on his new bicycle. Soon enough he asked his papa to let go and Tony was going down the path all on his own while his family cheered him on.

"Did you see that mommy?! I did it!" Tony exclaimed as he ran up to his mother who picked him up and kissed his cheeks.

"I am so proud of you, darling," Loki told him with a large smile.

"Mommy! Did you see that?! Father taught us how to ride a bike!" Sleipnir shouted as he raced up to them and wrapped his arms around their mother's waist and trapped Tony's legs between them.

"I did darling and I am glad that I don't have to beat his ass for hurting my babies."

"Stop telling the kids you like to beat me up," Bucky whines playfully as he walks up to them with the rest of their kids, Emilie in his arms. "They're goin' to see me as weak."

Hela giggled behind her hand and Bucky turned to glare at her. Loki looked unimpressed at her boyfriend, but before anyone could say anything else, Clint and Sam arrived in a truck with a bunch of things in the back.

"We're back bitches!" Clint shouted and Emilie began to search for the archer, wiggling around excitedly in her father's arms which made Tony giggle.

"And we brought stuff," Sam added as they began to unload the back of the truck.

"What kind of stuff?" Bucky asked them wearily as he eyed the boxes and bags while they approached the two heroes.

"Tents! Are we going camping?!" Peter asked excitedly as he helped them with the bags.

"We are camping, but out here. Figured you kiddies could use the experience and such." Clint grinned at them before taking a very happy Emilie from Bucky's arms. "That's right, little one. You missed your favorite uncle, didn't ya?"

"That's creepy. Don't ever give Barton a baby again," Fenrir commented as the archer continued to talk to Emilie in that annoying baby voice everyone used.

"Did ya bring s'mores?" Tony asked as he looked through bags.

"What kind of camping would we be doing without s'mores?" Sam teases the six year old who grinned and began to jump around excitedly.

"I hope you know how to set up a tent because I'm not gonna help ya," Bucky informs the two who roll their eyes.

"Of course we know how, besides, we've got Cap."

"He can barely work the laundry machine, what makes you think he'll be able to build a tent?"

Loki laughed and took Emilie back from Clint who went back to helping Sam with the stuff.

"I'll go inform the others of tonight's plans I guess," Bucky says and begins to head inside with the kids and Loki.

"Are we really going to be sleeping outside?" Loki questioned her boyfriend as soon as the kids ran off to tell everyone that they would be camping.

"It'll be a fun experience, Lokes. Do you do this on Asgard?" Bucky asked curiously as he laces his fingers with her free ones.

"Perhaps, but as a royal family, the most we did was a picnic in mother's garden and even then the All Father would often get called away for one thing or another." Loki shrugs, looking down at Emilie who was busy drooling all over her shirt.

"It'll be fun, I promise. And if you don't like sleepin' outside, we can always sneak back in and have our fun." Bucky wiggled his eyebrows at Loki who laughed and shook her head.

"You are always thinking about sex," Loki teases Bucky who grins proudly.

* * *

"What's the point of camping if we're five feet from our home?" Wanda asked as they all exited the compound dressed in comfortable and warm clothes and with an overnight bag packed with all the essentials.

"We are not five feet from our house, it's more like ten feet, and stop being a grouch," Clint replied as he turned back to glare at the young woman who used her magic to make him trip.

All seven tents were set up around in a circle with a fire pit in the middle and a few logs to sit on and foldable chairs were set around the fire pit. Coolers were also placed around the area and bags of chips sat on the nearby picnic table.

"You guys did all this?" Steve questioned his friends with a raised eyebrow as Brownie walked past all of them to sniff around the area.

"Uh yeah, why do you doubt us?" Sam answered his question with a question that Steve simply shook his head to.

"Alright, so we've got seven tents which obviously means we'll be rooming with people so grab your roomies and pick your tents," Clint informs the group who immediately grab their partners and start to head off to find a tent.

Natasha and Steve headed for a red colored tent, while Bucky and Loki took the one next to theirs with Emilie. Tony and Sleipnir picked a tent together while Peter, Fenrir and Jor headed to another. Hela ended up with Wanda and so that left Clint and Sam together. They were all a little bummed to not have the rest around, but Rhodey and Carol were on vacation together, Pepper was in Tokyo for the week while Bruce and Vision were on a humanitarian mission and Thor back in Asgard though he would be returning in a few days to leave with Loki, Bucky and the kids to Asgard.

"I just hope the others won't mind waking up three or four times during the night because of Emilie," Loki says once Bucky finished setting up the infant's travel cot and the inflatable mattress.

"Not like we'll actually be getting any sleep, anyways. We're outside. The experience is fun, but I do not sleep well outdoors," Bucky replied and Loki smirked as she kissed Emilie's cheek before setting her on the mattress to change her diaper.

"You are such a precious little sunshine," Loki cooed at the baby as Bucky handed her the baby wipes. "Now, let's get you all snug and warm because it will get colder as the sun goes down."

The nights upstate were colder than in the city so Loki had made sure that each of her children had packed warm blankets and sweaters. Loki however, was prepared to head inside as soon as everyone fell asleep. She would grab her baby and go whether Bucky was awake or not.

When they left their tent, Sam was starting the fire and the kids were running around with Brownie and a soccer ball. Wanda looked miserable as she sat in a chair bundled in a large hoodie and a fleece blanket on her lap.

"Why are you so grouchy today?" Bucky asks the young woman curiously, not even flinching at the glare she threw his way, eyes glowing red.

"Because this plan is stupid and these cramps are killing me, now move along!" She snapped and Loki bit back a chuckle as Bucky raced off to where Steve was supervising the two morons trying to start the fire.

"Here," Loki says as she hands the baby to Wanda who quickly takes Emilie and cuddles with her. The mage places a hand on the young woman's shoulder and takes a bit of her discomfort away.

"Thank you," Wanda says softly, her cheek resting gently against Emilie's dark hair.

"No problem."

"Fire!" Clint cries out happily and they all turned to see that the fire pit was finally lit thanks to Natasha who used a lighter.

"Men are useless," the Russian spy mumbled and Loki, Wanda and Hela all laughed.

"I'm feeling abused. Does this count as work harassment?" Sam questioned the guys who all shrugged.

"I'm sure this counts as domestic abuse," Steve jokes and Bucky agrees with him.

"Big babies," Loki tells them as she grabs a water bottle from one of the coolers.

"Your girlfriend is mean," Steve informs Bucky who shrugs.

"Tell me about it," Bucky replies and ducks out of the way as Loki goes to punch his shoulder. "See? Mean."

Loki smiles before heading off to sit with Wanda, Natasha following after her and taking Emilie from the younger woman.

"Hi!" Tony greeted them as he ran over with a water bottle. "Can you open it, please mommy?"

"Of course, darling," Loki replied as she took the bottle.

"Hi Annie," he greets his baby sister, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to her chubby little cheek. "You're so pretty. My pretty Annie."

Tony giggled when his baby sister began to coo and squirm around excitedly and the women all watched fondly the interaction between the two. Loki handed the six year old his now open water and he took it with a thanks and drank before running off again with one final kiss to Emilie's cheek.

Bucky, Sam, Clint and Steve joined up with the kids to play a soccer game and then once the sun set, they all settled around the fire while Clint and Natasha gathered the supplies for their s'mores.

"How many can I eat?" Tony asks his mommy as he takes a seat by her feet, reaching out to play with Emilie's little sock covered feet.

"I am hesitant to say as much as you can, but then you won't get any sleep, so I am limiting you down to three and if you sneak a fourth you will be in trouble," Loki informs her child who pouts and faces the fire.

Sleipnir walks over to sit next to Tony with a blanket and two marshmallows. He hands a marshmallow to Tony who thanks him and the older boy shares his blanket with the younger. Loki smiles at her two boys and tucks Emilie's blanket around her.

"At least we don't have to worry about a sea bear attack," Peter comments once they all settle around the fire and Loki and Bucky roll their eyes at their teen while his siblings snicker.

"You need to stop watching SpongeBob," Sam jokes and Peter simply shrugs and grins. "It lowers your IQ."

"Too late for Barton," Fenrir adds in between giggles and Clint huffs while the others laugh.

"I need a new family. At least I have hope with Emilie," Clint mumbles as he pops a marshmallow on a stick and places it near the fire.

"Nope, Annie's mine. Get your own baby," Tony argues with the archer who huffs and tosses him a marshmallow.

"Well, whatever. I call dibs on the next baby then."

"Well you might have to wait a long while for that," Bucky informs the archer who smirks.

"We'll see." Clint threw Bucky and Loki a look that clearly let them know that he didn't believe that they wouldn't be having another kid anytime soon. Planned or not.

"Next year we should actually go camping," Peter comments as he makes himself a s'more, sitting in between Jor and Fen who were doing the same though Jor handed his to Sleipnir who thanked him. "Like, find a nice place and go with the entire team. Could serve as some team bonding with the new members and future new members."

"Spider brat's got a point," Sam agrees with a nod, taking a gulp of his beer. "Find somewhere nice, by a lake preferably and go camping for a whole weekend."

"Good luck with getting Bruce, Hope and Pepper to agree," Natasha says with a slight snort and Steve shakes his head with a fond smile at the mention of their girlfriend. It was rare for Pepper to not wear heels, getting her to wear sneakers and go live outdoors for a whole weekend? It was going to be near impossible to convince her.

"You know what my favorite part about living at the compound is?" Wanda asked as she looked up at the sky with a soft smile on her face.

"What is it?"

"The amount of stars we can actually see away from the city."

"I like how quiet it is," Fenrir adds with a shrug. "I spent a lot of time in solitude, getting used to the city life has been a little hard."

"Why didn't ya say anythin'?" Bucky asks his son worriedly.

"Because I didn't have a family then and I thought I was fine with being on my own the whole time, but now that I've got a family that I love, you gotta make sacrifices."

"This took a dark and depressing turn," Jor mumbled under his breath, not even reacting when Peter pinched his side. 

Loki didn't say anything because she didn't want to bring up past painful memories. For decades after Odin had taken the children away from her, Loki had had no idea where they were or if they were fine. Odin had cast a spell on the children so not even Heimdall could see where they were so for a long while, Loki had to just assume that they were okay. And now that the kids were back, Loki had never dared ask where they'd been sent to. Ignorance was bliss.

Emilie farting and filling her diaper broke the tense atmosphere and got the others to laugh while Loki sighed because as usual, she was going to have to change a poopy diaper.

"Perfect," Loki mumbled as she stood up with Emilie and headed back to their tent to change her. "You seriously could not have had better timing, my sweet sunshine." Loki pressed her lips to the baby's forehead, suppressing a smile as she went.

After a quick diaper change and feeding, Loki settled Emilie who was now fast asleep, in her cot before going out to join the rest of the family. Tony was on a new s'more, face covered in chocolate and gooey whiteness that made Loki cringe. Sleipnir wasn't any better, even the front of his sweater had a bit of chocolate on it, as if he'd wiped his hand down the front.

As Loki walked past Bucky to head to her chair, the man reached his metal hand out towards her arm and pulled the mage down onto his lap. Loki didn't even struggle, just let the man place a blanket around them and she leaned back into his chest, listening to Clint and Fenrir argue about this and that.

And Fenrir was right. It was quiet. No sounds of cars or helicopters and no bright lights of the city. Just nature and the only lights on in the building behind them were from the main offices in the southwest building which belong to SHIELD.

Perhaps sleeping outside wouldn't be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope we're all still doing okay. be careful if you have to go out !!!
> 
> watching anything interesting? i just started season 3 of Grey's Anatomy (which i started watching earlier this week) and all i can say is that Cristina is my favorite and for some reason i can't stand George idk why really, he just rubs me the wrong way.
> 
> also also, working on something extra for you guys set in this universe (never grow up) and i hope to have the first chapter out next week :)


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky didn't even spare the sorceress a look as he walked down the hall with his boyfriend and Thor, but Tony did turn his head to watch her and stuck his tongue out at the blonde woman who glared at him.

Asgard is warm and very sunny this time of year, Bucky notes as they walk up to the palace two days into August. The children were chattering excitedly behind him and Loki who had a now two month old baby in his arms. Emilie was wide awake and even she seemed pretty excited to be here.

When they reach the front steps of the palace, they are greeted by Thor, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif who as usual has a scowl on her face.

"Uncle Thor!" Tony shouts excitedly as he runs up to the blonde man who'd recently gotten his iconic blonde locks chopped off after a very rough fight with some large creatures that had probably thought his hair looked like hay or whatever.

"Hello, young one," Thor greets his nephew, picking him up and tossing him high in the air a few times which makes even Sif look worried. "'Tis been so long, little one. I hope it is all well?"

"Mhmm! Papa taught us how to ride a bike and we went camping and mama's been helping me with my magic!" Tony listed off, fingers tugging at his uncle's beard which made Fandral snicker.

"No more disappearing?"

Tony giggled and shook his head no while Fenrir snorted, amused. Volstagg smiled fondly at the child and then turned his gaze to Loki who was staring at his son with open affection.

"Now, I hear the royal family has got a new member!" Volstagg exclaims as he eyes the baby who's in a cute pink floral little jumpsuit and cute little white high top sneakers that Pepper had gotten her a few weeks back.

"That's Annie! She's my baby sister and she's the cutest!" Tony informed the Warriors Three and Sif whose lips twitched up into a small smile.

"Oh, look at those gorgeous eyes!" Fandral says as he takes a closer look at Emilie who stares back at him with open curiosity. "They're like a perfect mix of the two of you."

"They used to be a lot more blue," Bucky says as he brings a hand out to stroke Emilie's dark hair.

"You see that? We all got good genes. We're such a good looking family," Fenrir states proudly, yelping when both Jor and Peter hit his shoulders while Hela sighs. "And I have mean siblings. Very mean."

"The Queen is awaiting your arrival," Sif buts in, voice clipped as she completely ignores three of Asgard's fiercest warriors cooing over a baby. It was no secret that Sif and Loki still couldn't stand each other and neither were about to pretend to do so.

Thor leads the family inside while the others bow respectively as they walk by. Tony was chattering away excitedly and Sleipnir was now in Bucky's arms with his head resting on his father's shoulder.

Frigga was waiting for them in the family sitting room, which was a very rarely used room since Odin was always busy in council meetings and Frigga attending to other things in the palace. She stood from her seat as soon as they walked in and smiled wide, tears in her eyes as she hugged the older three of Loki's biological kids first, then Peter, Tony and Sleipnir before her eyes settled on the baby.

"Oh my, she is so precious," Frigga gasped, hand over her mouth as she looked at Emilie who was surprisingly still awake.

"You want to hold her?" Loki asked his mother who nodded and immediately took the baby from her youngest's arms. Emilie squirmed around a little until she got comfortable, but otherwise didn't protest at the unfamiliar set of arms holding her.

"She's such a sweet angel. Oh I have missed holding babies," Frigga says as she kisses Emilie's head and the baby gurgles happily in response which makes them laugh. "How is life at home with a baby, children?"

"She is loud when she cries," Jor comments and it earns the agreeing nods of the rest of his siblings.

"And dad won't change her smelly diapers," Peter tattled to which Bucky flushed while Frigga and Thor laughed.

"Annie is stinky though," Tony defended his papa, frowning at his siblings who only kept giggling.

Sleipnir too didn't like the way the older kids were laughing at his father so he cuddled into the man who kissed his head in return. Loki simply looked at his boyfriend with a bit of sympathy that was laced with that usual look of mischief.

"I need to feed Emilie," Loki says as soon as the two month old begins to fuss and whimper in Frigga's arms.

"I had your old crib set up in your room for the little one," Frigga says as she begins to lead them to their rooms after handing Emilie over to Loki. "Children, your rooms are all the same ones, I just did a bit of redecorating so don't be alarmed at all the changes."

"Got it!" They all replied happily, Tony and Sleipnir running off ahead and their giggles echoing in the large hall as they went.

Soon enough Loki and Bucky were in their room with the mage sitting in an armchair by the window to feed Emilie who was now crying because her parents didn't understand that her little tummy was growling. Bucky went over to the gold crib in the corner of the room, eyebrows raised and slightly impressed.

Sometimes he forgot that Loki came from royalty, whether he'd stayed with Laufey or not, Loki was a prince anyways. And coming to Asgard definitely reminded Bucky that Loki was a prince even though his boyfriend had made a life for himself on Earth. Sometimes Bucky wondered if he was being selfish in not asking Loki if he preferred to live on Earth or Asgard even though he knew the answer was Earth since Asgard was a touchy subject with the mage sometimes.

"You are thinking too hard and you are stinking up the room," Loki joked lightly and Bucky turned away from the crib to smile at his boyfriend who'd finished feeding Emilie and was now patting her back to get her to burp. "Everything okay?"

"Are you happy on Earth?" Bucky blurted out and Loki's brows furrowed together in confusion. "I mean, we've never really talked about where we should live and you've literally lived here your entire life up until four years ago. I guess it's not fair of me to assume ya want to live on Earth."

Loki ended up laughing, not at his boyfriend, but at the mere thought of relocating their family to Asgard simply because it was what Loki called home for a whole millennia. At least, what he thought was his home, but now he realizes that it never truly was.

Getting up from his seat, Loki walks over to place Emilie in her crib before standing in front of Bucky who still looked torn up over the question. Taking his hands in his, Loki gave them a soft squeeze and smiled reassuringly at the man.

"After everything that has happened, I finally came to realize that Asgard was never truly my home. And there is too much pain here to ever call it my home and despite Thor dragging me to Midgard four years ago to 'right my wrongs', that's the place where I got a second chance and rebuilt my life and finally found someone I could love unconditionally and who saw past all my flaws and past mistakes," Loki explained as he brings their hands up to rest them over his own heart, Bucky silent through the whole exchange. "So yeah, I'm happy on Midgard and don't ever doubt that. Don't feel guilty thinking I am compromising my happiness to live on Midgard with you and our family."

"You've gone soft," Bucky teases the mage who rolls his eyes but doesn't deny it. Even two years ago, before Anthony getting de-aged and getting together with Bucky, Loki would have never said something like that out loud or even to himself.

"Perhaps, but there are some instances where I am not," Loki said in a low voice, eyes getting darker as he lead Bucky's hands to his hips. "Care to find out?"

"Lead the way, my lady," Bucky teased and Loki ignored him in favor of dragging him towards the sitting area of their chambers and closing the door after them to not disturb Emilie in her sleep.

* * *

Loki walked down the halls of the palace with slightly shaky knees and flushed cheeks, trying to search for his children but ended up bumping into an unpleasant surprise.

"My favorite trickster returns," the woman purred softly, her green eyes looking him up and down in a judging manner. "You've gotten fat, darling, but I am not surprised with the amount of children you are popping out. Such a shame, you had the potential to be something great had you continued under my protection."

"You only used me to get to my brother, Amora. I do not understand why you are still here after all the trouble you caused," Loki spat out as he glared at the Enchantress who laughed in delight and flicked her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"Technically, I'm only here on a small 'diplomatic' mission and to meet the hunk of a man you decided to play house with and those brats you call your children."

Loki was about to say a few choice words to the woman when Thor and Bucky walked down the hall talking about something, Tony hanging from his father's arms with a pout and chocolate all over his lips. Whoever gave the boy chocolate was in big trouble. Amora's eyes immediately trailed over to Bucky, a small smirk on her face that Loki did not like.

"Amora, who let you back into the palace?" Thor questioned the woman as he stood beside his brother while Tony eyed the woman with curiosity.

"Has your father not informed you? I am working here again... under more restrictions than the first time but the All-Father genuinely believes that if Loki was able to change his life around, than so can I. Frankly I am not interested in becoming someone that mortals use for their protection and having children left and right," Amora explained with a casual shrug, bringing a hand up to stroke Thor's cheek with her fingers.

"Than have care for how you speak about my family," Thor warned her, catching her wrist in a bruising grip. "Father may have let you come back, but do not think you are free to roam the halls of the palace and if I ever see you near my nephews and nieces, I will personally see that you are escorted and banished from entering ever again."

Amora didn't say anything but the smile never once vanished from her face and Loki knew she was up to something because Amora was him. Amora had taught him everything he knew from a young age, the two having been inseparable growing up.

Bucky didn't even spare the sorceress a look as he walked down the hall with his boyfriend and Thor, but Tony did turn his head to watch her and stuck his tongue out at the blonde woman who glared at him.

"Stop antagonizing her, Anthony," Loki chastised his son who faced them with an innocent look, his arms wrapped around his papa's neck and leaning his head on the man's. "You are not fooling me, child."

"He is all you, brother," Thor commented in between chuckles and Loki sighed but didn't deny the fact that his child, though not his biologically, was just basically him in child form.

Much later, once Emilie had woken up and Odin has finished his meetings for the day (Loki had been shocked when Frigga told him his father had cleared his schedule for the rest of the day), they all met up outside to have a picnic under the large tree in the garden that had the swings Thor and Loki used as children. Emilie looked pretty excited to be outside, just hearing her siblings running about as she laid on her back on a blanket.

"Sorry I am late," Odin apologized as he walked over to them.

"Grandpa!" Tony and Sleipnir shouted as they ran up to the man who laughed and hugged the two tightly.

"Hope you boys have been behaving for your parents," Odin teases the two who giggle and share looks with each other that made Frigga laugh and Loki sigh. "I will take that as a no."

"You gotta meet Annie, Grandpa! She's so small and chubby and cute!" Tony exclaimed as he grabbed his grandfather's hand and tugged him towards the rest of the adults with Emilie now squirming around in Loki's lap.

Loki stood up from his spot on the ground with the two month old in his arms and smiled as his father's one good eye softened at the sight of the chubby thing in his youngest son's arms.

"This is Emilie Antonia, your granddaughter," Loki informed the man who took the baby and smiled down at her.

"Isn't she pretty?" Tony asked as he leaned against his grandmother who smiled down at him and stroked his hair. "Prettier than Fen."

"Hey!" Fenrir exclaimed, faking being offended as he chased after his younger brother who squealed and ran away.

"I'm coming Tony!" Sleipnir shouted and rushed off to rescue his brother while Peter, Hela and Jor all giggled and cheered them on.

"Children, behave," Bucky warns them.

"Got it, dad!" They all shout back as the continued what they were doing and Bucky sighs in resignation.

"She is beautiful boys," Odin tells the couple as he looks away from Emilie who made soft cooing sounds and turned her head left and right in hopes of finding her siblings. "Though I can already tell this one will be a mischievous one."

"Oh you have no idea how much like Loki she is," Bucky comments and laughs as his boyfriend hits his side with his bony elbow.

Frigga and Odin both laughed as well and Thor called the kids back for lunch. The adults sat on a picnic table while the kids all sat on the ground on a blanket and having three different conversations at the same time that Bucky had learned long ago to stop trying to follow.

"With Peter's birthday being this weekend, we were hoping to throw a feast in his honor to celebrate and to welcome you all back to Asgard," Frigga told Loki and Bucky who shared similar unsure looks. "Please darling, let us celebrate that we have our entire family together again."

Loki wanted to say no because their feasts were always big and involved too many people that Loki couldn't even remember the names of, but he supposed that the children could use more knowledge on their Asgardian culture.

"Alright, but I will be taking them at the first sign on trouble," Loki agreed and his parents both nodded.

* * *

"But mom!" All the kids whined later that night as they made their way back to their chambers.

"No buts," Loki informed them as they entered Peter and Fenrir's room. "Look, they are doing this for Peter's birthday and you guys. You won't even have to stay long if you do not want to, but at least make an effort to be there and dressed up."

"We'll look like one of those paintings in the museum Uncle Steve likes to look at so much," Peter grumbled as he sat on the edge of his bed with Tony crawling to the center of it with Fenrir laying down nearly on top of the child who giggled and tried to shove his older brother away.

"As opposed to your beliefs, we do not dress up like those old paintings with the wigs and puffy dresses," Loki reprimanded his teen and Hela giggled. "Sure it is not what you are used to wearing, but if you want to keep visiting Asgard then you will have to get used to the differences between here and home, understood?"

"Why are you so moody today?" Fenrir asked curiously as he sat up to look at their mother, Tony laying flat on his back across his lap and making silly faces at Hela who stuck her tongue out at the younger boy. "You aren't pregnant again, are you? Because I'm sure seven kids is more than enough."

"I am moody because unlike you, I have to take care of a baby who sleeps and eats more than all six of you combined."

"I bet he's moody cause pops is with Uncle Thor and his friends drinking," Jor says teasingly and Loki feels his cheeks heat up.

"And with Amora running around..." Fenrir trailed off and Peter glared at his brother.

"Knock it off," Peter told him.

"I want you all up by six, am I understood?" Loki said angrily as he tried not to tighten his hold on Emilie who was fast asleep and wrapped in her blanket like a little burrito.

"Nice going, jackass," Hela argued with her you her brother.

"Jackass," Sleipnir repeated with a giggle, quieting down when Loki glared at him.

"Since the party is this weekend, you will all have a busy schedule tomorrow between the seamstress, a quick lesson in how to behave and other things," Loki informs them as he starts to head towards the door.

"I thought we came here on vacation?" Peter wondered and Loki pauses, his hand on the doorknob.

"You kids could always use some classes in manners," Loki told them with a smirk before leaving their whining behind. "Your siblings are big pains, Em, please be slightly more normal."

Emilie simply smiled in her sleep and Loki sighed as he made his way to his chambers.

* * *

The day of the party arrived and though logically Loki knew his kids wouldn't suddenly straighten up with a few lessons, he'd had some hope. Especially with Fenrir who nowadays seemed to have no brain to mouth filter.

"It itches," Tony complained once he was fully dressed in traditional Asgardian robes.

"I spent over a millennia wearing clothes like this, I am sure you brats can handle a few hours," Loki tells them as he kneels down to fix Sleipnir's outfit and brush back his hair. "You look dashing, my love."

Sleipnir giggles, cheeks flushing red as he leans forward to kiss his mother's cheek. Loki stands up and checks over the rest of his children to make sure they were dressed correctly and weren't hiding any unnecessary weapons, especially since Fenrir has developed a sudden fascination with daggers.

"Alright brats, please be on your best behavior," Bucky begged them as he walked over to them with Emilie in his arms dressed in a cute little gold colored dress with matching sparkly shoes and a headband. "This isn't the tower where you can set up pranks left and right. At the first sign of trouble from you, I will be sending you to your rooms and you will be grounded as soon as we get home. Am I understood?"

"Did you two take an extra dose of the bitchy pill today?" Fenrir asks them and Tony slaps his hands over his mouth to avoid laughing. "Ooh, is mom still mad about you getting drunk with the Warriors Three the other night?"

Loki closed his eyes and counted down from ten to avoid sending his child to a pocket dimension or something equally harsh. Hela pinched her brother's arm in a silent warning. For some reason Bucky and Loki has been tense for the last couple of days and snapping at each other when they were together for more than five minutes. They had no idea why and frankly didn't really care, they just hoped the awkwardness left soon. Like before they went back home soon.

The party was in full swing by the time they made it to the ballroom and the kids all immediately rushed off to the table stacked with food and drinks.

"If she gets hungry, find me. Or better yet, I left a bottle ready in our room," Loki tells his boyfriend before heading off to greet his mother.

Bucky sighed and looked down at Emilie who was waving her arms around and he nearly stumbled to the ground when a large hand patted his back. Turning around, Bucky wasn't surprised to find Volstagg and Fandral standing behind him with smirks.

"Still giving you the cold shoulder?" Fandral asked, reaching forward to bop Emilie's little nose.

"At this point in our relationship, I'm used to it," Bucky replies with a slight roll of his eyes.

"The young prince has always had quite a temper, but let us be thankful he does not possess Thor's powers," Volstagg exclaimed in between chuckles and all Bucky could do was agree.

Meanwhile, Loki was standing in a corner just watching everyone and hoping to spot his children who had all disappeared after gathering food and drinks. He was too busy searching the large crowded room that he didn't see his large brother heading towards him.

"So why are you mad at Bucky?" Thor asks his little brother who jumps startled and turns to glare at the blonde. "It's been three days, even father has noticed. Is it because he went drinking with the lads and I the other night?"

"He did not return to our chambers until the sun was almost up and I was up all night with Emilie who refused to go to sleep and instead was eating and pooping every other hour," Loki snapped, feeling guilty right after and mumbled an apology to his brother who looked pretty amused. "All I wanted was a bit of help that night and then I came to realize how dependent I am on a man who I had no idea even existed over four years ago!"

Thor reeled back a little at his little brother's exclamation and stopped to think before he said the wrong thing and angered Loki further.

"Well you have been very independent since I can remember, you were barely able to walk on your own and you already desired to go off and explore. You're allowed to be dependent on him, Lo, he's your partner and father of your children."

"I know." Loki sighed as he leaned against the wall and looked over at Thor who had one eyebrow raised in amusement. "Perhaps him not being there to help me just brought back unwanted memories of all those days and nights I spent caring for the other four children on my own."

Before Thor could say something, like apologize to Loki for having abandoned him and such, the room fell silent and the brothers looked up to see that Amora had entered the room in a green gown that hugged her body in all the right ways and showing enough of her breasts to still be considered appropriate but sexy.

"Who invited her?" Loki hissed at his brother.

"Certainly not father. He made it specifically clear to her that she would only be in the palace when needed and a feast is not somewhere she is needed," Thor replied, recalling yesterday's conversation the All-Father had had with the blonde haired woman.

"Let's not make a scandal out of this boys," Frigga said as she walked over to her two sons, a polite smile on her face though her eyes were hardened in anger. "And let's not ruin Peter's day."

Loki wasn't comfortable being in the same room as Amora. Sure the two had been inseparable growing up and she's the one who taught him a lot of things about his magic, but after he learned that she was only using Loki to get closer to Thor, well let's just say that started his long list of trust issues.

"I do not want her anywhere near my children," Loki told the two who nodded in understanding and the mage made his way across the room to his boyfriend who still stood talking with the Warriors Three and Fandral was holding Emilie, which made Loki wonder if the world was coming to an end.

"Come have a pint with us!" Fandral told Loki rather excitedly, Emilie cradled in one arm and the mage squashed down his over-protectiveness in favor of looking over at Bucky who was staring at him with open adoration.

"Uh I cannot actually drink right now. The baby," Loki pointed out awkwardly. "Have you seen the kids?"

"Hela is out in the garden with them," Bucky replied as he wrapped an arm around Loki's waist and pulled him close. "You want to check up on them?"

Loki nodded and was thankful when his mother took Emilie from Fandral before letting Bucky lead him out to the gardens. The night was peaceful and slightly cold, the stars shined bright in the sky and Loki took in a deep breath as the tension left his body now that he had put quite a lot of distance with Amora.

"You okay?" Bucky asked as they came to a stop under an arch made of roses and fairy lights.

"Would you believe me if I said I was?" Loki wondered, lips twitching into a self depreciating smile that had Bucky bringing a hand up to cup the mage's cheek.

"I don't because I know you better than the palm of my hand. Now spill."

"I love coming to visit my family, I really do, but I also hate it because the people here are still talking about me in a bad way just like they have done my entire life. They are not- they are not as open to second chances as the Midgardians are."

"I know. I had to stop Fenrir from takin' on someone from your father's court."

Loki laughed and moved forward to rest his head on Bucky's chest. Bucky wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and held him tightly, the two swaying to the music that came from inside.

"They don't know you like I do, Lo. They don't know that you've got the biggest heart I've ever known," Bucky began to say after awhile, lips pressed to Loki's forehead. "They don't know that you cry with Disney movies." A smack to Bucky's ass made the super soldier laugh.

"You are an ass."

"No, but I do love yours," Bucky replied as he brought a hand down to squeeze Loki's ass.

"Mom and dad are getting freaky!" Fenrir shouted and the couple pulled away to see their son leaving them with a disgusted look on his face.

"How about we ditch this party and get freaky under the sheets?" Bucky asked Loki, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and he only laughed when the mage turned a bright shade of red before heading off to find the children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope we're still doing okay. i am slowly losing my sanity and coming really close to dying my hear purple😂😂
> 
> anyone interested in some on-shots in this universe ? like a separate story with deleted chapters, alternate endings and such ?? i have some ideas, but you guys could also request something you would like to read and so on.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can turn Sif into a cat," Tony offered with a grin and both Peter and Fenrir looked at their little brother completely horrified.

Loki was walking along his mother's garden early in the morning before breakfast. He'd barely been able to sleep the night before and so as soon as the sun had started to rise, Loki got out of bed carefully and decided to take a stroll through the one place that always made him happy as a child.

He was currently sitting on a bench with a book resting on his lap when someone else sat next to him and Loki turned his head to see his father.

"You still rise early, I see," Odin commented with a small smile and Loki shook his head.

"No, more like I could not sleep," Loki corrected the older man. "I am too used to being awoken by Emilie and she actually slept through the night and was still sleeping when I left the room."

"You were a quiet baby when you were her age, so I can already tell she is all James."

"James likes to say otherwise." Loki rolled his eyes, returning his gaze to the row of flowers in front of him while his father chuckled quietly under his breath.

"My boy, you have a wonderful family and I- I am very proud of you," Odin told him after a few moments of silence between them. Loki turned his head to look at his father, shocked at what the man was telling him. "I was too harsh on you when you were a child, but all I wanted was what was best for you and I will forever blame myself at the road my actions made you take."

"Father-"

"No, let me finish," Odin says as he grabs Loki's hands and gives it a squeeze. "Had things been different, you would have made a great king. I am truly sorry I could not see that."

Loki didn't know how to respond to that, so he just stayed quiet and faced forward again. This moment right here, was what Loki had waited his entire life for, yet, he couldn't bring himself to really care anymore. His family was more important than getting his father to realize that he could be a king just like Thor. Perhaps an even better one than his brother could ever be.

"Perhaps, but now we will never know. I am more than happy where I am in life at the moment."

* * *

Later that day, in one of the other gardens, Bucky was taking a stroll with Emilie while the other children were scattered around the palace doing various activities. The day was beautiful and Bucky understood why Loki spent his youth in these gardens. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

"Hello, my love," comes a female accented voice from behind him, familiar yet so different.

He turned around and came face to face with a pretty woman with long black hair, green eyes and a smirk. It was Loki's face, just not his Loki.

"Need something?" He asked with a tired sigh, shifting Emilie to his left arm as he eyed the woman in front of him. Even Emilie didn't look too impressed by the woman in front of them.

"Are you mad at me? Why are you talking to me like that, Bucky?" She asked and Bucky smirked.

"Nice try, but Loki never calls me Bucky," he tells the woman in front of him who scowls as Bucky begins to walk away and bumps into Frigga by the entrance to the palace.

"Amora is always causing trouble, I am glad that you did not fall for her tricks," Frigga tells him as she takes Emilie from Bucky and kisses the baby's cheeks.

"Well Loki only ever calls me James or Barnes and on one memorably frightening occasion, James Buchanan Barnes," Bucky explains to the queen who laughs as the two head inside the palace. "And besides, I've seen Loki in his female form and that's not it."

"Loki really does trust you, doesn't he? It hasn't been easy for him, especially after finding out the truth about his heritage."

"Yes, he does. I've seen his Jotun form a few times as well," Bucky confessed and Frigga stared at him in surprise. "Almost as soon as we started datin', said he didn't want to keep secrets from me."

"You are good for my boy and I will be forever thankful that you are in his life. He really needed someone like you."

"And I really needed someone like him."

"No! Stop it!" They heard Tony shout from outside. "Hela!"

Bucky quickly rushed outside and towards the training arena where Hela and Sif were going at it with swords while Tony stood nearby shouting and with tears streaming down his face.

"What is going on here?!" Frigga shouted angrily and Tony ran over to his father who quickly picked him up and cuddled him close.

"This so called warrior thinks she is above me and my family," Hela growled out, clutching at her sword tightly and keeping the tip pointed at Sif who held her head high and glared at Hela. "I will not allow for her to speak about my mother in the way that she has since we have arrived."

"All Mother-" Sif began but was stopped by Frigga raising a hand to stop her from saying more.

"I want to see the two of you in the All Father's private office," Frigga tells them angrily.

"It's okay, Bambi," Bucky coos at Tony, looking over to the left when Odin and Loki make their way over.

"What's going on?" Odin asks as Loki takes Emilie from Frigga.

"Found these two lovely young ladies fighting with Anthony present," Frigga explains to her husband who sighs angrily and motions for the two of them to follow him inside.

"What were they fighting about?" Loki asks his boyfriend who was rubbing Tony's back in soothing circles.

"Hela mentioned something about Sif talkin' shit 'bout you and our family," Bucky informs his boyfriend who glared in the direction that the others had gone in.

"It is not unusual for Sif to be talking bad about me behind my back. She has done so for many centuries since I ruined her precious golden hair," Loki informs Bucky as they make their way inside.

"Mischief," Bucky tells him and Loki grins up at him.

They wait for Odin to finish talking to Sif and Hela, the two stepping out a few minutes later with scowls on their faces as they glare at each other. Loki sighs and motions his daughter over who quickly stands in front of her parents.

"Was Anthony with you when the fight started?" Loki questioned her and Hela nodded, looking down at the floor in shame. "Two weeks. No staying out late and I want you to help Eir in the healing rooms."

"But mother-!"

"No. Violence will never be the answer."

Hela scowls before stomping away in the direction of their rooms. Tony watches his big sister go with a pout, wiggling in his father's arms until he's placed on the ground and the child is quick to rush off after her.

"Hela!" Tony calls after her, slipping a few times on the shiny floor and nearly running into a guard once or twice. His sister never once stops until she's in front of her bedroom door.

Hela turns around and kneels down in front of her baby brother, a small smile on her face as she reaches out to pull him into her arms.

"I am sorry that you had to see that, baby brother," Hela tells him as she stands up with Tony in her arms. "I did not mean to frighten you."

"Nuh uh," Tony says, shaking his head as he pulls away a bit to look at her. "You were just protecting us, Ela. Sif is very grumpy and mean." Tony wrinkled his nose and Hela laughed at that, rubbing her nose against his lightly before taking him inside her room.

"Want to help me practice some spells?"

"Yes please!"

It was awhile later when Tony had managed to successfully turn a pillow into a kitten (Hela wasn't so sure how in the first place, but now they had a cat) when Fenrir, Peter and Jor walked in.

"Heard you almost sliced Sif's head off," Fenrir comments with a smirk.

"Oh my gosh a kitten!" Peter all but squeals as he heads over to where Tony's sitting on the ground playing with the black colored kitten.

"I did not intend on slicing her head off, I just wanted to teach her a lesson for messing with my family," Hela explains with a frown as she sits on the bench at the end of her bed.

"My dear sister, we are children of the God of chaos and mischief, we don't need to get our hands bloody," Jor informs her with a smirk and Peter looks up with wide eyes as he stares between the three of them.

"Um as the most sane one in this room, I really don't think mom and dad will approve of whatever you three are scheming," Peter chimes in worriedly, the kitten on his lap purring loudly as Tony scratched between her ears. "And may I remind you, Hela Ela, that you are already grounded for two weeks?"

"That is nothing. I spent decades away from my family, being grounded for a month will be a small victory," Hela says with a shrug.

"Your funeral."

"I can turn Sif into a cat," Tony offered with a grin and both Peter and Fenrir looked at their little brother completely horrified.

"See what you're doing? You're corrupting our baby brother!" Peter exclaims as he wraps his arms around Tony who giggles and buries himself closer to Peter.

"Yeah, mom and dad really won't like this," Fenrir comments.

"You're damn right we won't," comes their father's voice from the double doors and all the kids freeze and turn to face him and Sleipnir who rushes into the room followed by their mom and Emilie.

"Desist of whatever you are planning. We are here to have a good time as a family and if I hear that you have caused even the smallest of pranks, we will head back home and you will be grounded until next year, are we clear?" Loki warns them all, trying not to feel satisfied as they all pale immediately.

"Meow," the kitten interrupts the tension, walking over to rub her head against Loki's legs and then Bucky's.

"Uh it was Tony," Fenrir tattles, pointing over at the six year old who scowls.

"It was a pillow and Hela taught me!" Tony shouts.

"I am never teaching you anything again," Hela grumbled as she folds her arms across her chest.

"Have kids they said," Loki mumbles as he begins to walk away, clearly done with all of them. "It'll be fun they said."

"I think we broke mom," Jor says and they all snicker until a glare from Bucky cuts them off.

"Final warning. Be good," he tells them in a tone that clearly left no room for arguments.

"So you guys wanna go bother Heimdall?" Fenrir asks and they all nod before rushing out of Hela's room with the kitten following after them.

* * *

Odin joins them at dinner for the fifth night in a row, surprising not just Frigga but also Loki and Thor. As children, Odin had rarely joined them at dinner and their family meals were always at breakfast, so this was a nice change for once. Especially since the table filled up with all the kids.

"Your lessons with Eir start tomorrow, young lady," Odin reminds Hela who nods, picking at her food as she sits between Fenrir and Peter.

"Anthony, have you named your kitten yet?" Frigga asks her youngest grandson with a smile on her face.

"Midnight, cause she's got really black fur and her eyes shine like stars," Tony explained and she cooed at the child while his siblings teased him.

"Mama!"

"Boys, that's enough," Loki tells the older three boys who stop tormenting their youngest brother and return to their food.

"I am glad we only had our two boys, Frigga," Odin jokes to his wife who laughs and agrees.

Thor was watching his nephews and niece argue with clear amusement, probably wishing he'd had this much siblings to argue with while growing up.

Bucky just ate his food, too used to these kinds of situations happening at home and he really was counting down the days until school started so all the kids could leave and he could finally have some peace.

Despite it all though, Bucky loved having such a big family and he definitely wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Not even the chance of having not fallen of that damn train.

"I'll turn you into a frog!" Fenrir shouted across the table at Jor who glared and went to stand up but Loki sent him a glare and immediately sat back down.

Yep, he absolutely loved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 updates in the same week ?! and i've got the next two chapters ready ?! can y'all see that i've got nothing better to do besides writing and watching grey's anatomy?? lmao
> 
> those one shots are coming soon, promise !!


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Alright my big babies, have a good first day and please, it's too soon for your mother and I to get a call from the principal," Bucky warns them as he pulls up at Midtown. "At least wait a week before causin' some sort of mischief."

"Darling, time to get up," Loki said softly as she ran a hand through Tony's hair, smiling as the boy burrowed further into his blankets and mumbled something incoherently. "Yes, Anthony. It is time for school."

Emilie, now three months old, sat on her mother's lap watching her big brother and babbling away happily. She turned her head when Sleipnir jumped onto Tony's bed, giggling as he landed on top of his younger brother who groaned and whined.

"Tony, you gotta get up! It's my very first day of school!" Sleipnir exclaimed as he pulled back the blankets to reveal Tony's wild curly hair which was in need of a haircut.

They'd come back from Asgard a week ago, but the team had been called from mission to mission and Loki had been left alone with the kids and though it sounded bad, had been glad when Peter and Tony headed off to May's for a few days and Hela had a sleepover with MJ. And finally they'd all returned yesterday along with the team so the kids could all head out to school together.

"School?" Tony asks tiredly as he sits up and Emilie smiles up at her big brother, her large blue/green eyes shining brightly. Tony reaches over to grab one of her tiny little hands and tickles her palm lightly.

"Yes, now you two, please hurry up so you can eat breakfast with the others and we can leave before you are all late on your first day," Loki tells them as she stands up with Emilie who whines and just wants to spend more time with her brothers who giggle and make silly faces at their baby sister.

"I thought you were hungry, my little sunshine? Were you not begging for food before we entered their room?" Loki coos at the baby as they leave the boys' room and Emilie's head immediately turns up to look at Loki and whimpers as if remembering that yeah, she's actually pretty hungry. "Demanding, just like your father."

Downstairs, Bucky was making breakfast with Hela's help while Peter and Fenrir sat at the island half asleep and Jor at the table reading a book. All of the teens were already dressed and ready for their first day, with Peter and Fen being extra excited since they would be starting the same grade and had most of the same classes and Bucky could already imagine the trouble those two would cause.

"Lo, breakfast is ready!" Bucky shouts up the stairs and soon Tony and Sleipnir appear, going down as fast as they could. "Where's your mother?"

"Feeding Em, but she said that she'd eat when she came back from dropping us off," Sleipnir informs Bucky before heading to the table where the plates were set. Tony grinned and hugged his father briefly before taking his usual seat.

"Alright, so remind me of what times we have to pick you up?" Bucky asked the teens.

"I have decathlon practice today, but I think we should be done by four since it's just the first day back," Peter tells Bucky who nods and sets a reminder on his phone.

"I don't have anything, but I'm staying back with my twin," Fen replies with a shrug and Peter grins.

"I am trying out for the basketball team, so perhaps around five," Hela informs her father who nods and then he looks over at Jor who says three o'clock, head still buried in his book.

Loki appears a few seconds later with Emilie dressed for her day out and a diaper bag hanging from the mage's shoulders.

"Alright so you're takin' the babies and I'm takin' the big babies," Bucky tells his girlfriend who nods while the children all protest at being called babies.

Since Hela, Fen and Jor were going to Midtown with Peter, and Sleipnir and Tony were in schools in Manhattan, it'd been decided that one parent would drive the kids that headed to Queens and the other would drive the younger two to their school knowing it'd be impossible to drive all of them together and make it on time. Early morning traffic would only complicate things if they tried.

"Ya know, if I got my license, it would really save you guys the trip to Queens every morning," Peter says casually and Hela giggles while Loki and Bucky share scared looks.

"The last time we let you drive, you somehow managed to hook a trash can to the back of the car and nearly destroyed a hot dog cart," Loki points out and the other kids snicker at their brother's pout. "You need more lessons first."

"Fine, I'll just swing my way around the city for the rest of my life," Peter fake cries and Tony giggles loudly which has Emilie smiling from where she's watching the exchange in her mother's arms.

Loki laughs and shakes her head before checking the time and sighing.

"We need to go or we will be late," Loki informs the kids who all whine but head off to brush their teeth.

* * *

"Alright boys, here we are," Loki informs Tony and Sleipnir as she parks the car at their elementary school where other parents were dropping off their children.

"It's kinda scary," Sleipnir concludes after having stared out the window at the big school for a good few long seconds.

"But it's not! It's a lot of fun, pinkie promise," Tony tells his brother who hooks his little finger around Tony's and Loki smiled as she got out of the car.

Opening the back door, she takes Emilie out of her car seat and lets the boys get out before closing the door. They then make their way inside the building and straight to Sleipnir's classroom first.

"Okay, Sleipnir, this is your class," Loki tells her child who half hides behind her as the teacher approaches with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Mr Schmidt and I'll be your son's third grade teacher for the year," the man, possibly early thirties, greets them, brown eyes flicking from the two boys, to Loki and finally Emilie who's busy having a conversation of her own.

"Hi," Sleipnir greets him shyly.

"I'm Lola and these are my sons, Anthony and Sleipnir, but only Sleipnir will be your student," Loki informs the man who nods and crouches down to be at eye level with the eight year old.

"I promise that school isn't so scary. We do a lot of fun projects here and even take trips to the zoo or to museums and such," Mr Schmidt informs Sleipnir who seems to relax the more the man talks to him. "Alright, now it's time to say goodbye to your family."

The man stands back up and Sleipnir hugs Tony who holds his brother tightly and kisses his cheek before they pull away. Loki leans down a bit to hug Sleipnir who kisses Emilie's cheek first and then her's. Emilie smiles wide and offers her brother some comfort in the form of patting his head with jerky movements. It gets a giggle out of both boys and then Sleipnir's heading inside his classroom with his teacher and a few other students.

"Alright Anthony, lets get to your classroom," Loki informs the six year old who nods and holds her hand as they walk down the hall, turn a corner and down another hall before reaching Tony's class.

The twins are there greeting their teacher, but they turn around excitedly when Loki and Tony approach. Tony lets go of his mommy's hand and runs up to meet the twins, the three embracing and causing their mom, Loki and the teacher to laugh fondly at the sight.

While the three got acquainted with their teacher, and pouting that Izzy was in a different class, the twins's mom approached Loki and smiled at Emilie who was resting against her mother's shoulder and waiting patiently for her big brother to pay attention to her again. Though not for long since she demanded Tony's attention every second of the day.

"Oh look at this little princess!" Mrs Paulson cooed at Emilie who gave up on Tony and instead basked in the attention the stranger was giving her. "She's so gorgeous, Lola."

"Thank you," Loki replies as she shifts Emilie so the other woman can see her better. "She turned three months old two days ago."

"Time flies, doesn't it? One minute you're holding them for the first time and the next you're dropping them off at school," Mrs Paulson says with a hint of nostalgia as she looks over at her twins who approach them with Tony.

"That's Annie! She's my baby sister and the cutest," Tony informs his best friends who giggle and greet Emilie who wiggles happily in Loki's arms.

"Mommy, I want a sister," Alana tells her mom who turns bright red and Loki giggles.

Tony motions for Loki to get Emilie closer to him and the six year old grins and kisses his sister's cheeks.

"We'll see, but uh class is about to start so why don't you kids head in?"

The twins pout and say goodbye to their mother and Loki, Alana tickling Emilie's foot before all three kids head inside. Loki raises an eyebrow and waits exactly four seconds before Tony rushes with a blush.

"Forgot something?" She teases her son who giggles.

"Bye mommy. Bye Annie," Tony says as he hugs Loki who ruffles his hair.

"Have a good day and be good. Look after your brother," Loki tells Tony who nods and then rushes off.

"Want to grab some coffee?" Mrs Paulson asks Loki who nods and the two women leave.

* * *

"Alright my big babies, have a good first day and please, it's too soon for your mother and I to get a call from the principal," Bucky warns them as he pulls up at Midtown. "At least wait a week before causin' some sort of mischief."

The kids giggle and say quick goodbyes to their father before climbing out of the car. The three are greeted by Ned and MJ who high five them all.

"I'm gonna head off. See you around," Jor tells his older siblings who nod and watch him go off.

"Shouldn't he be in middle school?" MJ asks curiously.

"After the exams we took, he was allowed to skip a grade from his excellent scores," Hela says proudly.

"Um hello?! So did I," Fenrir exclaimed as he glared at Hela who scoffed.

"By one point, Fenrir, you are not exactly a genius."

Peter and Ned snicker while MJ high fives Hela before the two girls head off together.

"What class do you have first?" Ned asks Fenrir who looks down at his phone where he wrote down his schedule.

"Health class," Fenrir grumbled with a grimace and Peter patted his back with pity.

"Well I'm off to math class," Ned tells the brothers who nod and watch him leave.

"See you second period, twin," Peter says cheerily before heading off in the direction of his first class.

As Peter's walking past the science rooms, he finds Hela leaning against some lockers and talking to a blonde guy who's very obviously eyeing his sister up and down and it makes Peter frown. Hela, though has only been on Earth for a short amount of time, is very obviously flirting with the guy with the way she's leaning against the lockers, one hand on her hip and the other playing with a strand of her long black hair.

As Peter walks closer, Hela's dark green eyes flick over to him and immediately stands up straight and drops the strand of hair she was playing with. Peter grins and walks up to the pair, the boy looking over at him and paling just a tiny bit.

"Hi big sister," Peter greets her, putting a tad bit of emphasis on sister. "Thought you were heading to class?"

"H-Hey Parker," the kid greeted him and Peter smiled over at him, now that he was close enough, recognized him as Spencer Williams, captain of the basketball and the smartest in his grade.

"Hey man," Peter greets him, feeling Hela's glare but ignoring it in favor of talking to Spencer who's looking between the two siblings. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's my sister's first day of school and I wanted to make sure she got to her class alright. Don't want her to be late on her very first day."

"Oh I uh, didn't know you two were related," Spencer stutters out and Peter only grins bigger, all teeth and trying to appear threatening.

"Unfortunately," Hela grumbles.

The bell rings, cutting off whatever Hela had wanted to say and Peter grins at Spencer before taking his sister by the arm and dragging her down the hall to her class.

"You are insufferable," Hela grumbles, but there's a smile twitching at the corner of her lips and Peter wraps his arms around her. "But I love you."

"Aww, I love you too, Hela Ela," Peter says and presses a quick kiss to her cheek before rushing off to his class.

* * *

"You hear that?" Bucky asks his girlfriend a few hours later, the two lounging in the living room watching Grey's Anatomy.

"No, I do not hear anything," Loki replies with a frown, eyes glued to the screen as McDreamy's wife appears at the hospital.

"Exactly. It's the beautiful sound of sweet peace."

Loki rolls her eyes at his dramatic ass, but leans into his side and snuggles into the larger man when he brings an arm around her shoulders and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

After having returned from her coffee date with Lexie Paulson, Emilie had fallen asleep and Loki and Bucky had curled up on the couch to finally start on Grey's Anatomy like they'd wanted to do for the past few weeks. So far, Loki was hooked and briefly wondered about starting a career in medical.

"Can you shush? I need McDreamy to get his shit together," Loki tells her boyfriend who chuckles.

"Am I your McDreamy or McSteamy?" Bucky asks after the episode ends and they wait for the next one to start up.

"You are my McDreamy," Loki says softly before leaning up to press a chaste kiss to Bucky's lips.

Bucky smiles against her lips and is about to say something else when she pulls away just as the show starts again and Loki shushes him. Maybe he shouldn't have let Loki get so addicted to Netflix.

"Everyone in this hospital is too damn horny," Bucky comments as another sex scene plays out and Loki snorts.

"And George is annoying with his stupid crush on Meredith," Loki adds with a slight scowl on her face.

Later that day, Loki's cooking dinner with Emilie laying in her bouncer and staring up at the little toys hanging above her when the elevator doors open and the commotion of all six children arriving makes the mage sigh. Emilie kicks her little legs out in excitement and Loki chuckles just as all the kids wander into the kitchen followed by an annoyed Bucky.

"How was school?" Loki asked them.

"Oh it was so great!"

"I never want to go back."

"Boring."

"I made lots of friends mommy!"

"I miss Izzy being in my class."

"Sucks."

They all said at the same time and Loki just smiled and nodded before returning to her cooking as Tony knelt down on the floor to greet Emilie who was smiling wide at seeing her big brother.

"I caught Hela flirting," Peter tattles at dinner and Hela growls and goes to smack her brother when Loki simply raises a hand and uses her seidr to prevent her from doing so.

"Was not. He was a really nice guy who helped me find my classes because somebody was too busy being a giant nerd with Ned!" Hela argued and Tony and Sleipnir watched it all happen like a tennis match.

"Hey, don't call my twin a nerd! Sure he might play with LEGO sets and geek out over Star Wars, but he is not a nerd," Fenrir butted in, pointing his fork at Hela who scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Gee, thanks," Peter mumbles to his brother.

"Enough," Bucky says sternly. "New rule. None of you are allowed to date until you're thirty, we clear?"

"But dad!" They all shouted and Loki shook her head, already tired of her family.

"No buts!"

"Butts," Tony repeated and snickered along with Sleipnir.

"Grow up," Jor told the two youngest who glared at the moody pre teen.

"I'm six, not a hundred like you!" Tony shouted at Jor.

"Do I need to ground all of you?" Loki asked them and the table fell silent, except for Emilie's occasional cooing sounds. "No more talking. Finish your dinner and then head up to your rooms to do homework. Understood?"

"Yes mom," they all mumbled.

Loki really couldn't wait until they all left in the morning again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the babies are growing up😭😭


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You guys forget that the school sends parents an email each week with upcoming events and such? And that they had to email us to confirm our presence?" Loki asks the kids who all groan in realization and sigh. "Your father and I will be glad to attend your career day."

"So I heard career day is coming up at your school," Bucky brings up casually during dinner a week into the new school year, causing all four of his teens to freeze and look up at him with various looks of nervousness.

"Um where'd you hear that?" Peter asks nervously, sharing a look with his siblings while Loki sat back and watched everything with a smirk on his face and the younger two were giggling.

"You guys forget that the school sends parents an email each week with upcoming events and such? And that they had to email us to confirm our presence?" Loki asks the kids who all groan in realization and sigh. "Your father and I will be glad to attend your career day."

"And Sleipnir and I are going too," Tony chimes in excitedly, bouncing in his seat and giggling at his older siblings horrified looks.

"Why?" Fenrir asks him.

"We only have a half day at school," Sleipnir replies with a shrug.

"Well, there goes the end of our social life," Peter says mournfully and Hela snickers beside him.

"Not like you had any in the first place, Parker," Jor teases him and Fenrir laughs and high fives his younger brother who sits smugly in his seat while Peter struggles to come up with a comeback.

"Well at least it can't get any worse than our parents showing up with our younger siblings," Fenrir offers with a weak smile and Jor glares at his brother knowing to never jinx it.

* * *

The school's gym was completely decked out for career day. There was a different booth for each career, motivational posters all around and the entire eleventh grade class entering the room where their parents were already waiting by their designated booths.

"I'm going to die," Peter says dramatically, already feeling embarrassed despite not yet having seen his parents.

"Hey Parker, am I gonna get to see your hot mommy?" Flash asks, taunting Peter who has to take deep breaths in order to not turn around and punch Flash in the face, no matter how satisfying it sounds.

Peter reached a hand out to grip Fenrir's arm tightly, silently warning him to not do anything when he felt his brother tense up beside him.

"Alright children!" One of their teachers shouted to get their attention and immediately they all quieted down. "You will all be going off in groups of eight and stopping by every booth, taking notes and at the end you will be discussing your career day options in your homerooms and be prepared for possible quizzes afterwards, so make sure you pay attention! Now, run along and be adults or whatever."

"How about we go see the Avengers booth? Heard there was a special guest," MJ informs her friends as she walks up to the two brothers, Ned and Betty with a smirk on her face.

"Oh please no," Peter and Fenrir both beg as Hela and Jor's classes walk in and the two siblings join them along with Spencer, much to Peter's dismay.

"Where are we going first?" Hela asks with a smile as she looks around the crowded gym.

"The Avengers booth and then I figured we could stop by the SI booth afterwards, I'm really interested in all the clean energy they're doing," MJ informs Hela who makes a face and Jor hides his face on Peter's back. Spencer looked a little confused while Ned, Betty and MJ all giggled at their misery and Peter wondered if he even knew that their parents were literal Avengers.

"Come on, the quicker we can get this over with," Fenrir grumbled as he lead the group through the maze of booths until they found the Avengers one where they were surprised to find Steve, Wanda and Natasha with their father. "I was right, it did get much worse."

"Hey! My giant babies are here!" Bucky exclaims happily once he spots his children who all flush in embarrassment while Ned, MJ and Betty snicker. Wanda giggles behind her hand as she gathers a stack of papers.

"Dad," Hela whined but went over to hug the man who kissed the top of her head.

"Dad?" Spencer questions quietly beside Peter who turns to look at the older kid.

"You're seriously out of the loop, aren't you? Well, Bucky is our father, adoptive father, but father nonetheless," Peter explains to his sister's friend who nods. "Our mother is Loki, Thor's kid brother and well the rest of the Avengers are our aunts and uncles by extension. Also, my baby brother is the late Tony Stark's son."

"Quite the family," Spencer mumbles a little wide eyed and pale.

"Peter!" Came Tony's voice as he rushes over with Sleipnir from the SI booth a few booths down.

"Hi, spider baby!" Peter greets his baby brother as he crouches down and opens his arms for the six year old who crashes into them, giggling happily as he hugs his big brother tightly. "Were you with mom and Aunt Pepper?"

"Mhm! Hi!" Tony waves at the others who wave back with smiles while Sleipnir wraps his arms around Hela who starts to play with his hair.

"Alright kids, so let's get started with the presentation," Steve tells them, clapping his hands together to get their attention. "You don't need to be an enhanced to be a hero. We do have a few humans on our team with extraordinary abilities."

"So you're saying any one of us could be a part of the Avengers?" MJ questions the blonde with a bored expression and Peter snickers.

"Yes, but of course you need to have the interest and dedication to want to help others and keep the world safe," Natasha replies. "You don't just join because you think it'll be all fun and no work."

"It's not really all that great," Peter adds with a shrug, ducking out of the way when Bucky goes to ruffle his hair. "Unless you are interested in seeing a very much naked Thor wander around the tower three days a week. There's not a lot of world saving these days."

"Can we hear any embarrassing stories about Spider-Man?" Fenrir asks, smirking over at Peter who flushes and hides his face in Tony's hair while the six year old giggles. "Those are my favorite."

"Did Peter ever tell you guys the time he got tangled in his own webs while fightin' two guys who were tryin' to rob a bank?" Bucky asks the kids who all shake their head and move closer, eager to hear the story while Peter wanted the ground to swallow him up.

"Wanna go see mom?" Peter asks Tony in his ear and the six year old nods and points to where their mother was, groaning quietly when he spots Flash's group already there.

"Peter, darling, aren't you supposed to be with your group?" Loki asks once she spots him at the very back of Flash's group who all turn to look at him and Tony. Flash smirks and waves at Peter who scowls at the teen which makes Tony stick his tongue out at Flash in return because he didn't like anyone that his big brother didn't like. A few kids snicker and Flash sticks his tongue back out at Tony until Pepper clears her throat and Peter smiles in satisfaction at the way Flash pales.

"Dad's embarrassing me in front of my friends," Peter replies to his mother as he walks over to stand with Pepper and his mom who smiles apologetically at him.

"Take a seat, you can help us with the presentation once your group gets here," Pepper tells him and Peter nods, sitting on a chair with Tony on his lap, the six year old immediately grabbing a pen and piece of paper.

Peter drowned out the presentation, mostly keeping an eye out on Flash who kept checking his mom out which made Peter frown.

"Hey kid," a new voice greeted him and Peter jumped in his seat and looked up to find Clint and Sam standing next to him with cotton candy and in their uniforms.

"Can I have some? Pretty please?" Tony asks the pair, bringing out the eyes and pout until Sam pulled an extra from behind him somewhere.

"Why are you here? And where'd you get those?" Peter asks them, letting Tony feed him cotton candy and kissing the kid's head in thanks.

"Well we were part of the Avengers presentation, but Nat kicked us out because we kept goofing off with the kids so then we began to wander around and some kid's parent has a candy stand a few rows back," Clint explains with a shrug.

"So does Parker actually live with you guys or has he been lying this whole time just like when he said he had an internship with Stark?" Flash asked, obviously trying to rile Peter up but he simply rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms tighter around Tony who kept eating his cotton candy while glaring at Flash. "And is he really an Avenger? Cause I saw him helping an old lady get her cat from a tree last week and that's not something real heroes do."

"Mr Thompson, we asked for no personal questions and in any case, those questions do not pertain to our presentation," Loki scolded him. "And what my son is or isn't, is not any of your business. The next time you speak out of turn and with questions that are not meant for this presentation but simply to provoke, you will be asked to leave the group. Am I clear?"

"Sorry ma'am," Flash mumbled in embarrassment as a few kids snickered.

"Alright, lets continue," Pepper says and moves on to the next topic.

"Is that the Dash kid that's always bothering you?" Clint asks Peter who snorts but nods.

"Please don't do anything," Peter begs the two adults who look way too innocent.

It wasn't even two minutes later when the sound of a loud fart followed by a few tinier ones and a very foul smell came from Flash's direction. The kids in the group all complained and ran off, leaving a very embarrassed Flash behind who ran off soon after. Clint and Sam were no longer next to Peter, Pepper growled in annoyance and Loki looked about ready to stab the hawk and falcon who appeared in front of the booth with innocent smiles.

"Mom's gonna stab you if you don't get out of here in the next two seconds," Peter warns the two adults who turn to look at Loki with wide eyes and then the two rush off in opposite directions at the look on the mage's face. "Well this has been a very productive morning."

"I will stab you too," Loki warns her son.

"What'd I do?!"

"Mommy likes to stab," Tony explains with a shrug, already bouncing on his lap from all the sugar. "I love my mommy. She's so pretty."

Loki leaned over to press a kiss to the six year old's head, opening her mouth when he offered her some cotton candy all while Peter sat there pouting until his group showed up.

"Mommy's boy," Fenrir teased him and Tony giggled as he shares his cotton candy with Sleipnir who walks over to them and leans into Peter's side.

"You two are my favorites, please don't ever change," Peter begs the two younger boys who giggle in response.

"Alright, enough goofing off," Pepper says firmly and the group falls silent because you just don't mess with Pepper Potts. "Working at SI isn't easy. There's literally millions of people that rely on you-"

"Sorry to interrupt," Bucky says sheepishly as he joins the group. "There's a situation outside that requires the Avengers so I kinda need to borrow my lovely girlfriend and spider child."

"Yes!" Peter shouted as he quickly sat Tony in the seat next to his and sprang up, ignoring the glare Pepper sent his way and the jealous glances his siblings gave him. "I mean, sorry to miss this lovely and highly educational presentation, but duty calls."

Peter followed after his parents and once outside, he found Clint, Sam, Steve, Nat and Wanda already outside.

"So what's going on?" Peter asks as he looks around, already feeling his senses going all crazy but couldn't spot the danger anywhere.

"AIM again. They're not far from here trying to break into a research facility. Their target is an important scientist who's said to be an expert in alien technology so you can see why it would be bad if AIM succeeds in taking him," Steve explained to the teen who nods as he finishes taking off his clothes, glad to have worn his suit under them.

"Okay and what's the plan, Cap?" Clint asks as he readies his bow and adjust his glasses.

"Loki's going to sneak in while Bucky will keep a look out..."

***

Pepper was so not panicking. Definitely not.

She'd continued the presentation once the team had left while warning Tony and Sleipnir against leaving. They weren't the problem. For a bunch of hyper children, they stayed in their seat sharing popcorn that MJ had gone off to get them and occasionally asking Pepper questions about her job, which was more than the teens had been doing all morning.

The problem were Hela and Fenrir who took the one second Pepper had turned her back to retrieve something to disappear. Literally. Ned said they left in a poof of green smoke and then Betty argued that it'd been more of a green light. Pepper didn't care because she'd lost two kids and Loki and Bucky were going to kill her if they went out there.

Pepper knew that Hela and Fenrir had started to train with the team since both had expressed interest in joining them on missions in the future and had heard talks about a Junior Avengers team being created since there were so many enhanced teens out there, but Pepper had never thought that she'd be the one responsible for their early involvement in the team.

"I'm done," Pepper says in complete resignation and MJ snorts, though their amusement is short lived when the sound of something exploding outside shakes the gymnasium and sends everyone running off in a panic. "Completely done."

"Come on, boogers, we need to get out of here," Jor tells his baby siblings who nod and take his hands as the group move calmly towards the nearest exit with Pepper following after them.

Meanwhile three blocks away, Peter was in his designated waiting spot when his siblings appeared and nearly gave him a heart attack.

"What are you guys doing here?" Peter hissed quietly at them. "Mom and dad will stab you."

"Oh please, they love us too much for that. Besides, the family that fights together and all that," Fenrir says casually, decked out in a black combat armor similar to their mother's with gold outlines. Hela's was similar to Natasha's, but with a leather jacket thrown over her body suit, shin length combat boots and fingerless gloves.

"Fine, but I am not the one getting in trouble for this because I, like a good and caring brother, tried to stop you idiots," Peter warned them, peeking around the corner to see Cap and Natasha fighting against six men.

"Which you didn't try hard enough, just pointing that out," Hela teases Peter who huffs and very nearly misses his cue, jumping into the scene two seconds late as he swung from building to building until he kicked down two men and webbed up another one.

~

"What the hell were you kids thinking?!" Bucky yelled at Hela and Fenrir after the fight was over, both kids coming out with minor cuts and bruises.

"We wanted to help. What's the point of training if you will not let us even go on simple missions?!" Hela yelled back and Peter cringed because he had never seen their parents so mad before. Well he had, once, when he'd gotten hurt that one time and... well he'd rather not think about that time.

"The point of you guys training is for us to determine the when and if you are ready and so far you two have proved that you're not," Loki informs her two children who gape. "This right here, what you just pulled, is why we think that you are not ready. If you are not capable of following simple orders, then you are not ready for an easy mission."

"But mom-"

"No. You left Anthony and Sleipnir alone with Jor and you disappeared without saying anything to anyone. You pull another stunt like this and-"

"And what? You'll send us away like Odin?" Fenrir asked angrily and Peter turned to glare at his brother who was frowning up at their parents.

"Fenrir, stop it," Bucky hissed at his son who seemed to realize what he'd said and looked over at Loki whose face had gone completely blank, the way it always did when she was upset and boy did Fenrir upset her this time.

"Um, I don't think we should be having this discussion outside," Hela pointed out quietly as she looked around and noticed that the whole student body was outside and reporters were starting to arrive as SHIELD took the AIM guys away.

"We will discuss this further at home. I need to go find the other children," Loki mumbles before walking away with a slight limp and an arm wrapped around her midsection where her ribs were probably hurting.

"Peter, go make sure your mother doesn't injure herself further," Bucky tells the spider teen who nods and rushes off after Loki, but not before glaring Fenrir's way one last time.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them," Peter tells his mom who shakes her head as she wraps an arm around his shoulders.

"Your siblings are stubborn, which unfortunately is something you all have in common," Loki teases him and Peter blushed, wishing he hadn't taken his mask off. "I just worry about you kids. As a parent, it is my job to keep you kids safe and healthy, but sometimes you kids make my job more difficult."

"Sorry."

"Who said parenting was easy? You will understand your father and I once you have your own kids."

"Not anytime soon, thankfully."

Loki laughed and pulled him closer into her side and Peter gladly took the rare moment of affection his mother was giving him in front of so many cameras.

* * *

"They're your kids," Steve argued weakly as he looked at Bucky and Loki who sat across from him with Hela and Fenrir in one of the conference rooms at SHIELD.

"But you're the leader of this team and if they want to be in said team, I think it's only fair that you deliver their punishment," Bucky informs his best friend who sighs, not exactly comfortable with doing so.

"We trust you to do this, Steven," Loki says in a much softer voice than Bucky. "Besides, we already gave them their regular punishment."

"Okay okay, I can do this," Steve mumbled to himself before looking at the two moody teenagers across from him. "Since you two are so adamant to join the team, you will be treated as part of the team and when someone in the team messes up or doesn't follow orders, they get punished."

"Oh, so now we're part of the team?" Fenrir questions angrily and sinks down in his seat when Loki glares at him.

"Well when you two decided to join the fight today, did you not do so with the intention of showing us that you were ready to be part of the team?" Steve received twin hesitant nods before continuing. "Then you'll get treated like you're part of the team. You two are on probation for the next two months. Another slip up like this and your chances of ever actually being on the team will be dismissed. We went through this with Peter and we're not going to give you guys a free pass."

"We are sorry," Hela says quietly and Steve really doesn't have the heart to be so strict on the kids because much like Peter, they just wanted to prove that they could and were capable of helping out. "We truly are."

"I know, but look at it this way, it's a great chance to learn about responsibilities in a team," Steve points out and relaxes a little at the small smiles on the teenagers' faces. "Two months and in the next two months you will be training with each and every member of the team and attend team training sessions, but I want your main priority to be school."

"Can we at least get off early on good behavior?"

"Sure. You can go now, I still need to talk to your parents about something."

The teens nod and head off without another word. Once gone, Steve sighs and slumps against his seat while glaring at the couple sitting in front of him who were snickering at his dilemma.

"You guys are mean," Steve tells them.

"No, they just needed to understand that they can't just jump in head first during a battle," Bucky informs his best friend. "Besides, we went through this with Peter and we really didn't want to deal with this problem a second time."

Loki shook his head and went to say something when his phone went off. Apologizing, Loki headed off to a corner to answer it.

"So what punishment did ya give them?" Steve asks his best friend who's eyes are trained on Loki who's leaning against a wall and smiling at whoever is on the other end.

"Grounded for three weeks and free babysitting duty on the weekends for the next month," Bucky replies with a smirk as he looks over at Steve who laughs. "Thinkin' bout taking Loki out on a date on Saturday so I'm leaving Hela in charge of the kids. Put her to work out her punishment."

Steve laughed and brought up the files of the Junior Avengers Initiative as Loki rejoined them at the table while Bucky asked FRIDAY to call the rest of the team inside.

"Happy is proposing to May and is asking for Peter to join them at dinner tomorrow night to ask for his blessing," Loki tells them as the team walk in arguing about who knew what.

"That's great!"

"Look at Happy my man," Bucky says proudly. "He was terrified of asking May out at first and now they're gettin' hitched?"

"Wait, Happy and May are getting married?" Clint asks as he sits on Loki's other side. "Damn, and you guys have been together for like a century now."

"Alright, lets not start anything. I think it's about time we start to really talk about the Junior Avengers Initiative..."

Bucky drowned out his best friend, thoughts all centered around one thing now. Marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀
> 
> my ass would have been seated at the movie theater by now, ready to see Black Widow 💔😭


	47. Chapter 47

"What's wrong with you?" Steve asks worriedly after he walked into the communal floor late one night, long after everyone had gone to bed, only to find Bucky sitting at the island with a cup of tea sitting untouched in front of him while he stared into space.

"What?" Bucky asked, coming out of his funk to stare at his best friend who headed over to the refrigerator in search of something to eat.

"Are you okay? You're looking spacey," Steve asks again, going over to take a seat next to him once he grabs a container of leftover noodles. "Or did Loki kick you out again?"

Bucky snorted and shook his head before taking a sip of his tea. He didn't normally drink the stuff, but his boyfriend seemed to be obsessed with the stuff and so Bucky had decided to try some out. He now knew why Loki drank the stuff so much.

"No, just couldn't sleep. Been thinkin' about somethin' lately and I guess it's keepin' me up at night," Bucky explained a little tiredly.

"About what, if I may know. Perhaps I can be of some help."

"Uh well I've been thinkin' 'bout askin' Loki to marry me. Ever since Happy said he wanted to propose to May, I guess it just hasn't left my mind."

Steve was silent for a few seconds, just staring at his best friend with wide shocked eyes before his lips stretched into a wide smile and he brought a hand over to pat Bucky's back.

"That's great! Buck, this is great news," Steve told him happily. "You should definitely do it."

"It's not that I don't want to, because I've been thinkin' about it a lot lately and the more I do, the more I convince myself to do it. It's just that Loki and I have never actually talked about wantin' to get married so I don't know if he'd even want to."

"Well you can bring it up casually in a conversation. Perhaps ask him what marriage is like on Asgard," Steve suggests and Bucky shrugs a bit.

"I don't wanna hint at it. He's gonna know something's up if I bring it up randomly. It's not like we discuss weddings on a daily basis."

"Well bring it up whenever you watch a movie or show with weddings or whatever. And be casual about it. You get all nervous around Loki still," Steve teases Bucky who flushes.

"He's just so pretty," Bucky whined and Steve laughed and shook his head.

* * *

Morning arrives much too quickly for Bucky who just about got four hours of sleep. He groans tiredly as Loki stirs beside him, stretching in a way that reminds him of a cat and he chuckles at his boyfriend who opens one eye to glare at him.

"Mornin' sunshine," he greets Loki, rolling over onto his side and leaning over to press kisses along the mage's neck. "Ready for another start of the week?"

"No," Loki says with a huff, turning to face Bucky and cuddling into his chest. "I want to sleep and not have to deal with children fighting at six in the morning."

"Fenrir you moron!" They hear Peter shout angrily from down the hall and the adults sigh.

"I miss the days when it was just Tony," Bucky mumbles as he holds Loki tighter to his chest, a few fingers tracing up and down the mage's spine. "Less fightin'."

Loki makes a noise of agreement as he brings a leg up to wrap it around Bucky's waist. The two only got a few more seconds of peace before they heard Sleipnir crying out in the hall, Tony shouting at Fenrir and Hela's annoyed scolding reached their ears.

"Another beautiful morning," Loki says sarcastically before getting out of bed, not even bothering to search for his clothes as he heads to the bathroom. Clothes which Bucky may have tossed in all directions after he returned from talking with Steve not so long ago and had found Loki leaving their bathroom looking all soft and tired.

And it was a beautiful morning until Bucky returned from dropping off the kids and found Loki and Yelena talking at the kitchen table with the Russian holding a wide awake Emilie while Brownie watched from her spot on the floor beside Loki.

"Didn't know you were visiting," Bucky says in form of greeting, walking over and pressing a kiss to Loki's cheek which earned him a frown. Perhaps he didn't show much affection to his boyfriend in front of others and it was quite obvious what he was doing.

"Decided to drop by. Wanted to meet this little one," Yelena replies with a smile as she looks down at the now four month old who was making cute little noises as she sat happily on Yelena's lap. "Natasha kept going on and on about her goddaughter and frankly, I was getting a little jealous."

"Barton's picking up Anthony and Sleipnir up from school so they can go shop for Halloween decorations and Steve offered to take Hela and Peter out for their driving lesson," Loki informs Bucky who nods, glad to have a more relaxing afternoon with their two quieter kids; Jor and Emilie.

"Good because I am not sure how many more driving lessons I can give those two bickering teenagers."

"Anyways, Yelena, Nat and I are heading out with Em so go have a boys day or something," Loki tells his boyfriend as he stands up from the chair, changing to his female form and smiling up at Bucky who glares at Yelena.

"I will wait for you downstairs with Natasha," Yelena says as she stands up and takes Emilie and Loki walks up to her boyfriend with a sly smirk on her face.

"You've got that look that gets me all hot and bothered," Bucky informs his girlfriend, a little weary as she wraps her arms around his neck and stands on her tip toes to reach him better. Bucky places his hands on Loki's hips and pulls her closer.

"What look?" She asks innocently though the smirk never falls from her face. "I do not know what you are talking about. We are heading to the mall and I was thinking about stepping into that store you love so much-"

"The lingerie one?" Bucky asks with a slight whimper as Loki's lips brush against his teasingly.

"-and perhaps I might buy something pretty for this weekend. I thought we could use two whole days away from the kids. What do you think about Paris? Or perhaps Spain?"

"Tempted to say Spain so we can go to the beach and I have an excuse to get you in a bikini again."

"Deal." Loki grinned and pecked his lips very light and brief before heading off, leaving Bucky all but drooling at the thought of a small two day vacation.

Bucky then beads downstairs to Steve's floor, in search of his best friend and halfway through a panic. He finds Steve in his studio working on a painting with too much pink and purple, which meant it was probably for Emilie.

"Uh you okay?" Steve asks him worriedly.

"That thing that I told you last night that I wanted to do? Well, I'm gonna do it. This weekend, probably," Bucky speaks quickly and eyes wide, heart racing in his chest while Steve just stands in front of him confused for a second before realization dawns on him.

"Okay, but why this weekend? You weren't even sure you wanted to propose to Loki five hours ago. What changed? And 'probably' is a good sign that you aren't as sure as you think you are."

"Uh Loki wants to go away this weekend and frankly, we deserve it because have you seen those kids lately? And well Spain's a beautiful place and it'll be a perfect and unexpected place to propose, right?"

Steve sets his paint brush down and blinks up at Bucky who's sporting his nervous smile. The blonde super soldier shakes his head and sighs.

"Think this through, like really think about it. Yes you two need that small time away from the kids, but perhaps then isn't the good time to do it. I mean, do you even know if Loki would like to get married someday?"

When Bucky doesn't answer right away, Steve simply raises an eyebrow at his best friend who starts to pace in front of him.

"I don't know. I just thought it'd be a great opportunity. Ya know, just the two of us on a beach for two whole days," Bucky point out a little dejectedly.

"There will be plenty of other opportunities to propose to Loki. Just, really think about it. Proposing was just something you were thinking about at two in the morning, Buck, and you were only doing so because Happy proposed to May. Perhaps you're feeling a bit pressured?"

"Maybe." Bucky sighs before sitting on the stool next to Steve's. "I really do love Loki, but I'm not sure if marriage is our thing. At least not yet. Or ever."

"You'll figure it out," Steve reassures him with a smile and pat on his back. "Now, how about we head down to the gym for some training?"

* * *

"It's gotta be scary," Tony tells Clint as they walk into the store an hour before school was supposed to finish. "It's Sleipnir's first Halloween and we gotta make it special!"

"What's so special about Halloween?" Sleipnir questioned the two, nose scrunched up as they walked into the Halloween section of the store where shelves were lined up with all sorts of spooky things.

"You get free candy just for dressing up!" Clint exclaims, a little scandalizes that Sleipnir didn't seem to be getting very into the spooky season much to their disappointment. Seems like no one else was going to love Halloween as much as them.

"I wanna be a pirate this year," Tony informs the archer who nods in approval while Sleipnir looked at all the fake skulls and spiders with distaste. "Or Harry Potter!"

"Ravenclaw is the best," Sleipnir adds and Tony turns to glare at his brother.

"Whoa there munchkins. We are not shopping for costumes today," Clint reminds them, just hoping to diffuse whatever argument was about to start. "We are buying decorations for the communal floor. We're going all out this year!"

"We're making a haunted house?" Tony asked hopefully as he grabbed Sleipnir's hand so neither boy would get lost as they followed the archer around.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Clint mumbles to himself before a giant grin takes over his face and he turns to look down at the kids who stare up at him with wide eyes. "Alright kiddies, listen up! Tony just gave Uncle Clint an amazing idea! We're going to turn the communal floor into the best haunted house your tiny little brains has ever seen!"

"My brain's not tiny. My parents say I'm super smart," Tony says matter of fact and Sleipnir nods in agreement. "My teacher says I should be in fifth grade, but I'm too small and I don't wanna leave my friends."

"Good choice, kid. Now, what do you say about some tiny ghosts floating from the ceiling?"

"I can make better ones!"

"Me too!" Sleipnir shouted and both kids giggled as they began to plan their own floating ghosts.

"Tiny geniuses," Clint grumbled.

Meanwhile in Midtown, the teens were a little surprised to find their Uncle Steve waiting for them with a giant grin on his face and baseball cap on his head.

"Not that we aren't glad to see you," Peter began to say, "but why exactly are you here?"

"I'm in charge of your driving lesson today, so hop on up, kiddos!" Steve tells them excitedly and Jor and Fenrir snort and share amused looks, their poor uncle clearly having no idea what he was getting himself into. "Hela, you're up first."

"What? You are letting me drive right now?" Hela asks with wide eyes as she looks at the overcrowded school zone.

"What does Bucky do then? You guys have been at this for a month, shouldn't you be driving on the streets by now?"

"We do, but that's only when we head to the compound because there's less chance for damage and no civilization for miles. Here, we mostly practice in that empty parking lot of what used to be a Sears," Peter informs his uncle who nods with a slight purse of his lips as he looks around deep in thought.

"Well, I'm gonna give you kids a chance to prove to him that you are ready for bigger and better so please don't let me down and please don't kill anyone in the process."

"Now this is something that I have to see," Fenrir jokes and Jor snickers beside him as they climb in the back seat with Peter while Hela takes the driver's seat and Steve the passenger seat. "Say your prayers everyone because we are not making it out alive from the parking lot."

"Asshole," Hela grumbles as she puts on her seat belt and starts the car.

Back at the tower, Loki and Bucky had been granted two whole kid free hours. Emilie was sleeping in her nursery while Brownie kept watch beside her crib and the adults were in the living room watching Grey's Anatomy like they did whenever they were alone.

"After everything they have been through, a Post-It note is how they are getting married?" Loki asks with a disgusted tone in her voice as she sat between Bucky's legs on the couch with a blanket draped over them. "I mean, the vows were at least pleasant, but I would have insisted on having an official ceremony at least."

"Yeah?" Bucky asked, glad that he didn't have to bring up that conversation. "So to you, what would be the perfect wedding?"

"You would think winter, but a summer wedding sounds pretty nice. Maybe by the beach at sunset, makes for a pretty romantic scene. Not something over the top, but definitely have all of our close friends present."

"I can already smell the ocean." Bucky grins, nosing at Loki's hair and wrapping his arms tighter around her. "Is it the same on Asgard?"

"Not really. Well, there is an official ceremony which happens in the evening and then there's a two day party to celebrate a new union. For Thor and I, it would be slightly different. There is a third day of celebration, but only with the family and really close friends in a more private gathering."

"Sounds fun. Would you like to have both type of weddings someday?"

"Perhaps, but why are you so curious all of a sudden?" Loki asks with narrowed green eyes as she craned her head upwards to see her boyfriend who put on his best poker face.

"No reason. You've just never talked about how Asgardians do weddings and I was curious," Bucky explains with a shrug as the next episode starts just as the elevator doors open and out step all four teens arguing followed by a sheepish Steve Rogers. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted Steve."

Loki snickers and slaps his knee before getting up to go and greet them as FRIDAY paused their show.

"We would have died had I not stopped the car with my magic!" Hela shouted as she glared at Peter who huffed but Loki could tell he was upset by whatever had happened.

"What is going on?" Loki asks the kids, looking between all four and then Steve who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Parker swerved the car trying to not run over a squirrel but nearly killed us all in the process when a building seemed to appear out of nowhere. No biggie," Fenrir explained with a shrug.

"In his defense though, Steve really shouldn't have let them drive on the street," Jor adds and Loki turns her glare to Steve instead.

"There's a reason why we practice in empty parking lots, Steven!" Bucky shouts from the kitchen before appearing with a glass of water in his hands that he hands over to Peter who thanks him quietly.

"Are you okay?" Loki asks Peter as she cups his face and noticing that he was a few shades lighter and shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"I know, darling. You get in way over your head, but remember what we talked about last time?" Loki asks him, vaguely aware of the other kids heading upstairs and Bucky and Steve into the kitchen.

"To not rush things," Peter mumbled, squirming and letting out a small squeak when Loki poked his side to get a smile out of him.

"For some it just takes a bit longer and that's okay. There's no rush. Now, why don't you head upstairs to drop your things off and hope that Barton brings the other two kids back in one piece."

Peter laughed and hugged his mom quickly before rushing upstairs just as Emilie started to cry.

"I got her!"

"Thank you!" Loki shouts back before heading into the kitchen where Bucky was starting to prepare dinner. "Have you called Barton?"

"Call goes straight to voicemail. I'm sure they're fine, you worry too much," Bucky tells his girlfriend who gives him an unimpressed look.

"Agent Barton and the little bosses are on their way up," FRIDAY interrupts them and it's not that Loki doesn't trust Clint, it's just that sometimes he gets distracted easily and Tony and Sleipnir like to wander off if you're not constantly checking on them.

"Mommy!" Tony shouted excitedly when he walked into the kitchen and ran up to Loki who picked up the six year old.

"Did you kids have fun?" Loki asks as Sleipnir goes over to Bucky who picks him up and kisses all over his face which has the eight year old laughing hysterically.

"Tony and I are gonna make tiny floating ghosts for Uncle Clint's haunted house!" Sleipnir exclaims with a wide smile.

"It took a bit, but I managed to get Sleipnir excited about Halloween," Clint says with a grin as he sits up on the counter. "This year is gonna rock!"

"Yeah!" Tony shouts excitedly.

"Sounds fun," Loki grumbled and Steve and Bucky snorted at his enthusiasm. "Come on kids, lets go put your stuff away and get your siblings for dinner."

Once Loki was away, Bucky decided to place their usual order of pizzas and turned to face Steve who was looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Bucky asks with a frown.

"Have you thought about it?"

"Still workin' on it. The subject came up while we were watchin' Grey's so I now know that she's thought about it," Bucky explained and Steve nodded while Clint looked at the pair in complete confusion. "I just wanna talk to Thor and maybe the kids, though they can't keep their mouth shut so I'm not sure. Besides, the less people that know, the better."

"Not gonna tell Loki's parents?" Steve teased.

"They scare me more than Loki does."

Clint snorted even if he had no idea what was going on.


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If Bucky is going to be part of the family, it's about time he experienced our way of life!" Thor explained enthusiastically and Bucky sent the blonde a glare while the kids all snickered.
> 
> "I do not know how to respond to that," Loki says mostly to himself.

"Hey big guy, got a minute?" Bucky asks as he finally comes across Thor with no one else around nearly a week later.

"Sure thing, my friend! Is something wrong?" Thor asks as he looks up at Bucky with a slight frown, watching the man pace around in front of him nervously. "Is it the children? My brother? Are they alright?"

"No! Nothing's wrong, but I do want to have a chat about Loki." Thor's eyes widen and Bucky shakes his head. "Nothing bad, I promise!" Bucky adds quickly, stopping mid living room and finally turning to face the blonde Asgardian whose now looking way too amused about the situation.

"Alright, so what seems to have you so worked up? You look worse than when Emilie was born," Thor teased his brother in law who huffed out a breath and cracked a small smile.

"I love your brother. Like a lot. It's kind of scary how much I do because I never thought I'd be able to have this someday ya know with everythin' that happened and-"

"Breath and get to the point."

"Right. Well the point is, I really love Loki-"

"Yes, we have established this several times since even before you and my brother got together," Thor interrupts him with a shit eating grin and Bucky has to take in a few deep breaths to avoid strangling the giant blonde in front of him. Now he understands why Loki's stabbed his brother so many times in the past.

"As I was sayin', because I really love Loki and we have children together and live together, I think the next logical step would be marriage and well, you're his brother and I don't know about Asgard, but here we tend to ask for our partner's family's blessing on takin' such an important step," Bucky explained nervously and it wasn't even a second after he'd finished talking when Thor was up from his seat and was wrapping his big arms around him and squeezing the air out of his lungs. "Still need to breath, man. I'd like to be able to actually ask Loki to be my husband before dyin'."

"This is the most wonderful news, Bucky! You and my brother truly make a wonderful pair and I am glad that you are thinking about the next logical step in any serious relationship," Thor says as he lets go of Bucky and smiles at the metal armed soldier. "Have you decided when and where you'll do ask him?"

"No. I'm still workin' on that. I mean, we were supposed to go away this past weekend, but Avengers business kept us here and now I'm not too sure. Don't wanna be cheesy or cliche." Bucky shrugs as he sits on the leather armchair and ran a hand through his hair. "Just when the moment feels right, I guess."

"Well either way, however you decide to do it, I know for sure my brother's going to say yes."

"Fingers crossed, your brother can be unpredictable," Bucky mumbles and Thor laughs a full belly laugh but doesn't disagree.

***

Proposing won't be easy, Bucky knows. He doesn't want something over the top, like say, renting out a whole restaurant. He'd rather do it when the moment felt right, even if they were just lounging at home in their sweats or in a bath full of bubbles. Speaking from past experience, he knows that planning date nights can be difficult. Avengers business always gets in the way and with six kids, something's always bound to be wrong at home with one of the them.

But now aside from Steve, he's also got Thor asking every ten minutes if he's asked yet. The answer is still no and he'd really like to not feel pressured. Which is why he hasn't even told the kids because they won't be able to keep the secret for more than ten minutes and soon enough everyone in the world but Loki will know of his plans.

"You are acting strange," Loki comments as he gets under the covers one night, long after the kids have gone to bed.

"What? Me? Strange? No, why do you think so?" Bucky asked rather nervously and he could feel FRIDAY's non existent eye roll.

"Does that not prove my previous statement?"

Bucky wrinkled his nose and turned around in bed until he was laying on top of Loki who laughed at the added weight and squirmed under him.

"So when are we going on that vacation?" Bucky asks his boyfriend as he shifts so his full weight isn't on the mage who wraps his arms around Bucky's shoulders, his fingers playing with the ends of Bucky's long hair.

"Well I would have to say it will need to wait. For some reason October is always a busy month for the Avengers and with the holidays coming up, I believe it would be for the best," Loki explains as he runs a hand through Bucky's hair. "It will be worth it though. Once we can escape from here, we can take a few extra days off."

Bucky hummed happily and laid his head on Loki's chest, closing his eyes as Loki's fingers lulled him to sleep.

* * *

"I'm taking you to Asgard," Thor comments the next morning as he's eating breakfast with his brother and his family.

"What?" Bucky asks as all chatter around the table stops.

"What for?" Loki questions his brother with narrowed eyes as he feeds Emilie her bottle.

"If Bucky is going to be part of the family, it's about time he experienced our way of life!" Thor explained enthusiastically and Bucky sent the blonde a glare while the kids all snickered.

"I do not know how to respond to that," Loki says mostly to himself as he looks down at Emilie who's staring up at him with wide blue/green eyes. "How long are you planning on taking him?"

"Um in case y'all forgot, I haven't even said yes!" Bucky shouts in mild panic because he's pretty sure that this means that Thor's taking him to Asgard so he can talk to Frigga and Odin about his future plans with Loki. "What if- what if I already have plans here that I can't get out of? And I've got like six kids that I can't exactly leave unsupervised."

"Sure you can! Hela, Pete and I can help mom with the younger three kids," Fenrir offers with a giant grin and Bucky and Loki both look at him with 'oh really?' kind of expressions. "Fine, Hela and Peter can help mom. I'll supervise."

"Get off your butt for once and do something," comes Peter's angry reply and Hela nods in agreement.

"I did say you would be getting chores and I suppose if your father has to leave for a few days, it will be a perfect time to implement such tasks," Loki informs the kids who all groan.

"When did mom become so boring?" Jor asks his siblings quietly and Hela bites back a laugh.

"Well, since you're all deciding for me," Bucky says with a sigh. "Fine, I'll go, but no more than three days."

"Deal," Thor replies with too much enthusiasm and Bucky really has no idea what he's gotten himself into.

* * *

"James, what a pleasant surprise. Did Loki and the children come," Frigga asks her son in law when he enters the palace with Thor.

"Uh no, your son dragged me here and your other son decided for me," Bucky explains and she laughs before pulling him into a hug.

"Well, either way, it is always good to see you and have you around."

"Mother, Bucky has something he wants to tell you and father at dinner tonight," Thor announces to Frigga who immediately starts to look worried.

"No! It's nothing bad, promise!" Bucky reassures her quickly. "Lo and the kids are doing perfectly well, we might be goin' crazy with the six children, but we're all fine."

Frigga smiled, looking relieved asked after her grandkids as she lead her two sons into the sitting room, Bucky showing her pictures and videos on his phone as they went.

Back on Midgard, Loki was already feeling the stress of looking after all six kids on his own. Tony and Sleipnir had a fight as soon as they father and Uncle Thor had left, Jor was in his room blasting music, Fenrir and Hela were arguing over a math problem in their textbook.

"How are you holding up?" Natasha asks with a slight smirk as her and Steve arrive later that day only to find Loki with Tony in his arms and arguing with Fenrir and Jor while the six year old sniffled sadly.

"You two stay in your rooms until dinner," Loki tells Fenrir and Jor who huff. "Go!"

The two teens rushed away and Loki sighed as he set Tony down and whispered something to the six year old who nodded and headed upstairs.

"Got a letter from Anthony's school, his teacher suggests we take him to see a doctor because he has been struggling to see the board lately," Loki explains as he leads the two adults to the kitchen. "Fenrir and Jor found out and they have been teasing him all day, calling him four eyes and what not."

"Poor Tones," Steve says with a slight shake. "How's he taking the news?"

"He's not happy and with James in Asgard all weekend, he does not want to even talk about the problem until James gets back. I regret sending James off with my brother," Loki mumbles the last part to himself as he prepares tea and coffee for his guests.

"The marshmallow is awake," says Hela cheerily as she walks into the room with Emilie in her arms, head resting on her older sister's shoulder and yawning big.

Emilie took one look around the room and when her blue/green eyes landed on Steve, she let out the loudest squeal they'd ever heard her make.

"Someone really loves you," Nat teases her boyfriend who's grinning big as he goes over to take Emilie from a very amused Hela.

"Of course she loves me! I'm her godfather," Steve states proudly as he kisses Emilie's cheeks.

"Tony's still crying," Hela informs Loki who nods and sets his cup of tea down, but Nat offers to go talk to him.

When Nat enters Tony and Sleipnir's shared room, she finds the six year old on his bed crying softly while Sleipnir sat at their little table doing a puzzle completely unbothered by his upset little brother.

"Hi Aunt Nat," Sleipnir greeted the blonde who smiled and walked over to kiss the top of his head. "Tony's upset."

"Yeah, your mama explained why. I'm going to talk to him, alright? Explain how getting glasses isn't such a bad thing," Natasha explained to the eight year old who nodded happily and left the room to give them privacy. "Kotenok?"

"Go 'way!" Tony shouted into his pillow, back to Natasha and shoulders shaking.

Natasha simply smiled softly and sat next to him on the bed, humming an old Russian song Melina used to sing to her and Yelena as kids. Tony eventually stopped sniffling and turned to face Natasha who smiled down at him. Tony was pretty upset about needing glasses and Natasha didn't blame him, sometimes kids could be cruel and the last thing they all wanted was for Tony to grow up with self confidence issues.

"I don't know what you're feeling right now because I don't wear glasses," Natasha began in a soft and reassuring tone as she brushed back Tony's hair, "but Bruce does and we don't make fun of him for wearing glasses. The glasses are going to make you see better, kotenok, don't you want that? To finally be able to see the TV screen without squinting? Or to not see green blobs instead of the leaves on trees when you're outside?"

"I guess, but they're ugly," Tony whines as his eyes begin to tear up again. "And Lucy in my class got glasses last week and Mikey and his friends started making fun of her right away. They called her all sorts of mean names, Aunt Tasha."

"Well, there are plenty of cute glasses out there. They don't have to be like the glasses Harry Potter wears." Nat points out and Tony giggles. "You can choose whatever color you want and they'll make them and I'm sure you'll be able to customize them to your own liking. As for the name calling, I know it's not pleasant and it's mean, but just remember that whatever mean name they call you? It's not true. They'll be jealous that you'll look so cool in your new glasses, trust me."

"Really? You think I'll look cool?"

"Oh, super cool! Even your siblings will be jealous."

Tony giggled again and sat up, wiping away his tears and looking a little more excited about getting glasses.

"But I want papa here first," Tony tells her once he caved into getting glasses.

"And that's okay. I'm sure your dad will be very happy for you, kotenok. Your parents just want the best for you, and making sure your pretty eyes are healthy is one of their main priorities," says the blonde spy with a soft smile as she pulls the six year old into her arms and hugs him tight. "Now, let's go downstairs and tell your mama that you're excited to get glasses."

"I wouldn't exactly say that." Tony scrunches his nose and Natasha laughs in delight before they head downstairs where Steve was still all but drooling over Emilie who was being fed her bottle by the blonde man. "Hi mama."

"Hi, darling. Feeling better?" Loki asks as he pulls the six year old to sit on his lap, smiling as Tony snuggles into his chest and yawns big and loud which has Emilie turning to face her brother and to let go of her bottle which caused milk to drip down her cheek and chin.

"Mhm. Aunt Tash says I'll look cool with glasses," Tony tells him, already half asleep.

"Of course you will, baby boy. You will look so handsome in your new glasses," Loki adds, kissing his forehead and not even surprised when Tony's fast asleep a minute later. "Thank you for convincing him, Natasha."

"It's no problem," Nat says with a smile as she sits next to Steve who's trying to get Emilie to drink her bottle again, but she's stretching an arm out towards Tony.

"Anthony was excited at first, but then Fenrir and Jor started teasing him and I saw his self esteem go straight to the garbage. Thor chose a bad moment to take James away."

Steve snorts a little but doesn't disagree. The main reason why Natasha and him had popped in for a visit was to see if Loki needed a hand with the children and now he supposed frequent visits were to be had.

It's during dinner time when the kids finally seem to be getting along for the first time all day. They were all laughing and joking around with each other and even Emilie seemed pretty happy.

"Mom, can I spend the night on Wanda's floor? We want to have a girl's night," Hela asks Loki who nods because one less kid to worry about was a blessing at this point. He was exhausted and Emilie's had an energy all day that practically suggested that she wasn't going to be sleeping much tonight.

"Ooh, gonna paint your nails and talk about Spencer?" Fenrir teased his older sister who turned a bright shade of red and Loki pointedly ignored the name Spencer and what it implied. He was too tired to deal with his children having crushes.

"Shut up, dickface!"

"Enough you two," Loki warns them. "One more outburst and I will be sending you two to your rooms without finishing dinner."

The two immediately quieted down and Peter bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing because when Loki was angry at one kid, it was easy for him to get mad at the rest for the slightest of things.

"Mama, can my glasses be red?" Tony asks his mother to break the tension, looking up from his pasta and smiling over at Loki who relaxed and smiled back.

"Of course, they may. Any color you want, darling," Loki replies.

"You will look amazing, baby brother," Hela reassures here brother who beams at her, feeling more and more excited to get his glasses.

"Yeah, spider baby! I used to wear glasses you know?" Peter informs the child who gasps and turns to face him with wide eyes. "I got them when I was around your age, but since the spider bite, I haven't needed them anymore. Kinda miss wearing them."

"You probably looked like an even bigger geek," Fenrir teases his brother who stuck his tongue out in response.

"But a cool geek."

"I don't think there's such a thing as a cool geek, big bro," Jor comments with a slight frown and Loki chuckles a little at Peter's pout.

"I am sorry to interrupt," FRIDAY says apologetically and all conversation at the table stops as they wait for the AI to continue, "but Captain Rogers has requested all active duty Avengers to report to the conference room on the communal floor. Directory Fury is on the line."

Loki sighs and stands up from his seat before directing his next words at Peter and Hela, "you two are in charge until I get back. You know the rules and if anything happens, head straight down to the safe room, no playing heroes, understood?"

"Got it, mom," Hela replies with a nod and Peter echoes the reply with a grin.

"We'll look after the little ones. Promise."

"In bed by nine, Anthony and Sleipnir," Loki warns the younger two boys who pout. "Be good."

Loki rushed towards the elevator and the kids all looked at each other.

"So who's doing the dishes?" Jor asks after they finish eating.

"Hela's the oldest," Fenrir points out.

"That is sexist. Just because I am technically the only female in the room over the age of four months, does not mean that I am doing the household work while both our parents are away," Hela argues and the three boys groan while Tony and Sleipnir giggle as they take their plates to the sink.

"Cut your feminist crap, mom said we were all getting chores and if I recall correctly, you're on dish duty this evening," Fenrir reminds his older sister with a roll of his eyes. "We've got FRIDAY as a witness, right FRI?"

"Loki did say that earlier," FRIDAY agrees in amusement and Hela huffs. "However, if I do recall correctly, Loki also assigned Fenrir to drying said dishes."

The kids started to laugh while Fenrir grumbled something about hating his family.

"Gotta love karma," Peter says as he high fives Jor.

* * *

"You want to propose to our son?" Frigga asks Bucky during dinner after the super soldier informed his in laws of wanting to take the next step in his relationship with Loki.

"Yes. I know we haven't been together long, but we've got six kids and I love them all a lot and I just want to be able to further solidify my relationship with your son," Bucky explains nervously because Odin with his one eye intimidates him more than Natasha and Loki combined. "And uh I just want to be able to uh get your blessing."

The table is quiet for a minute and even Thor briefly wonders if his parents will say no or make a long detailed list of reasons why Bucky and Loki shouldn't marry, but then Frigga smiles with tears in her eyes before getting out of her seat and going over to hug Bucky who relaxes in her arms.

"This is wonderful news, Bucky and you have my full blessing to ask my son to marry you," Frigga tells him softly as she pulls away from the embrace.

"Thank you." Bucky sighs. One parent down, one to go.

"Hmm, yes, I do agree as well, however, my promise of eternal torture still stands if you ever dare hurt my son, Sergeant Barnes," Odin speaks up after awhile, voice loud and authoritative, seeming to shake the dining hall.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

"Now this wonderful news calls for a celebratory drink, yes?!" Thor exclaims, fist coming close to slamming down on the table but a glare from the All Mother has him freezing halfway to his destination.

"Oh I don't think I'm gonna like where this is goin'," Bucky mumbles to himself, recalling the last time he went drinking with Thor and his friends and how he ended up sleeping on the couch of Loki's chambers.

Odin must have heard because he shot Bucky a smirk behind his drink. His boyfriend's family were little shits just like Loki himself, no surprise there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changing Roles update next week, but to my Percy Jackson stans, how WE FEELING after today's news?!?! It was never Harry Potter for me, so I am so fucking happy my favorite book series is finally getting the attention and love it deserves💙💙


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That's great, Buck! So you're really doing it then? Going to ask Sparkles to marry you?" Steve asks his best friend who snorts at the nickname. "Don't know how he puts up with you."

"So I have a ring," Bucky says the night after his return from Asgard, sitting in Steve's kitchen while the two drank coffee. It was late at night and neither could sleep, Bucky thanking his lucky stars that Natasha and Clint were on a mission and Pepper away on a business trip so neither women were around to overhear.

Bucky had sneaked down to Steve's floor after leaving Loki fast asleep on their bed after quite a few 'welcome back' rounds. It's a wonder they don't have any more children, though he supposes Loki uses his seidr as a form of birth control. And for a normal person seven kids would be a lot, but he's not normal and he's low key wanting another baby now.

"That's great, Buck! So you're really doing it then? Going to ask Sparkles to marry you?" Steve asks his best friend who snorts at the nickname. "Don't know how he puts up with you."

"Punk. Not sure on the when or the how, but yeah, it's a done deal. Besides, I already got his family's blessin' and if I don't actually go through with it, I'm afraid Odin might turn me into a frog or something," Bucky confesses and Steve starts to laugh and shake his head at his best friend's stupidness.

"Well, you'll know when the time feels right. I know you don't want to go over the top and it could happen tomorrow while you two are watching Grey's Anatomy or next week while you're brushing your teeth and Loki's taking a shower." Steve shrugs as he goes to take a sip of his coffee.

"Bold of you to assume we shower separately," Bucky comments and Steve spits his coffee out in front of him.

* * *

"Alright Tony, here are your new glasses," says the doctor with a big smile as she approaches the child with his new glasses.

Tony eyes them wearily, still a bit torn up about having to wear them in the first place, but his papa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and his mommy stroked his cheek to calm him down and reassure him that it was going to be okay. Even Emilie made a happy little sound that had the doctor smiling at the nearly five month old baby.

"Alright Bambi, moment of truth," Bucky says as the doctor places the glasses on Tony.

The frames were square and red with hints of gold on the sides. Tony had looked at dozens of styles before picking these ones out excitedly and then he'd pouted when his mommy told him to pick out an extra pair in case he lost or broke these ones, so Tony picked another pair in the similar style, just that the color was a slight white/light blue color.

"What do you think, darling?" His mommy asks him once Tony looks at himself in the little mirror in front of him, checking how he looks with his new glasses.

"They're good," Tony replies with a slight shrug before turning to face his parents who were both smiling at him. "And I can read what Annie's shirt says! It's not blurry anymore!"

"And you look so handsome, baby boy," his mommy tells him and Tony giggles as a blush dusts over his cheeks before turning to look at himself in the mirror once again.

"Alright, so here's his other pair and I would like to see Tony again in a year or two, depending how his vision is doing. If the glasses break or anything, just bring them back in and we'll fix them. Any questions? Concerns?" The doctor asks the two adults who shake their heads and thank her. "Bye Tony."

"Bye!" Tony waves at her as he takes his papa's hand as they leave the office. "I love my new glasses! I can see sooo much clearer now."

"Bambi, ya should have said somethin' before," Bucky tells Tony who wrinkles his nose before peeking up at his father as they walked around the mall the Monday morning after Bucky got back from Asgard. "Ya should have told us you couldn't see very well."

"I thought it was normal," Tony replies with a shrug and Loki smiles fondly down at her son before readjusting her grip on Emilie who was looking around curiously. "Can we go eat lunch now? I'm hungry."

"Of course," Loki agrees and they head towards the food court.

Upon returning to the tower, Tony is quick to find the rest of the team and show them his new glasses. They all praise him and comment on how good he looks with his glasses which has Tony blushing and basking in the love.

"He's adjusting well," Natasha comments as she takes Emilie from Loki who nods as she watches her little boy go around the room so everyone can get a closer look.

"Was still a bit reluctant at the office and it took him awhile to even want to pick a pair out," Loki explains as she toys with the case Tony's other pair was in. "He's happy now because things are not blurry anymore."

Natasha laughs and buries her nose in Emilie's dark hair.

* * *

Halloween arrives and while Tony and Sleipnir put their costumes on, Hela, Peter and Fenrir got ready for a party at Spencer's house. Bucky and Loki had been reluctant to let the teens go, but Loki also wanted them to be as normal as possible so the adults let them go with the condition to behave and be back before two in the morning since Halloween was on Friday this year.

"What's Jor doing?" Bucky asks his boyfriend as they lounged on the couch waiting for their kids to leave, Clint, Thor and Sam had offered to take the younger two trick or treating with Lizzy and the twins while Natasha and Pepper were looking after Emilie for the night, wanting to give the couple some much needed alone time and because they missed their goddaughter.

"Going with Anthony and Sleipnir," Loki replies sleepily as he snuggles into Bucky's side.

"Are you goin' to sleep on our one night off?" Bucky asks jokingly as he smiled fondly at Loki whose eyes were already half closed. "What about our horror movie marathon?"

"Just need five minutes. You do not spend all day with the kids who constantly fight over your attention," Loki says grumpily and Bucky laughs under his breath before readjusting himself on the couch so Loki was laying more on him.

"True, they love you a lot more than me."

Loki stifles a laugh that threatens to escape and is more than glad when Tony and Sleipnir walk into the living room to show off their costumes.

"Look at my boys all ready to go scam our neighbors for candy!"

"James," Loki chides his boyfriend though there's a hint of laughter in his voice.

Tony, ever since getting glasses, had the idea of wanting to go dressed as Harry Potter while Sleipnir was dressed as Boba Fett. Originally he wanted to wear a Ravenclaw robe when Tony announced he'd be Harry Potter, but Peter got Sleipnir into Star Wars recently and then he decided he'd be Boba Fett. Which wasn't what either parent had expected from their son, but then again all their children were always surprising them.

"You look amazing, darlings," Loki praises the boys who grin just as Jor walks over to them in a Spider-Man hoodie and red sweats. "You could have at least made an effort."

"Mom, you're asking too much of me," Jor jokes with a grin and Bucky laughs before snapping a picture of his three boys. "Anyways, we gotta go. Clint, Sam and Thor are waiting for us downstairs."

"Alright, be good and don't give the birds and thunderer such a hard time," Bucky warns them, not liking their mischievous smiles. "And bring back lots of candy!"

"Bye!" They shout from the elevator.

"We're heading out!" Fenrir shouts as the three of them head towards the elevator, but Bucky is quick to rush over and stop them.

"Back by two and you better not have an ounce of alcohol in you. You're all minors and FRIDAY will know," Bucky warns them, making sure his daughter was dressed appropriately before letting her go. She was wearing black skinny jeans, combat boots and a leather jacket.

"We know, you and mom gave us a whole lecture last night," Peter says tiredly.

"James, just let them go already!" Loki shouts from the living room and the teens all shout their love yous and leave. "Finally, now hurry your ass up so we can start our marathon!"

"Yes dear," Bucky replies sarcastically as he heads for the kitchen to grab some snacks.

It's halfway through the first movie when Bucky starts to feel... well he's not really sure how he's feeling. There's a buzzing feeling in his veins and his heart is beating just a tad bit faster than normal and he feels worried for a brief second before he tightens his hold on Loki just a tiny bit and the feeling disappears completely, leaving him with a strange empty feeling.

Loki simply shifts, his head on Bucky's chest and eyes trained on the screen as Daniel Radcliffe's character starts to roam the empty dark house, trying to find the noise that had caught his attention.

"Are characters in horror movies this dumb? Why go towards the noise when you know you are home alone?" Loki wonders with a slight mix of frustration and amusement in his voice.

"It's basically the plot of every horror movie, doll. That and the dumb ones get killed first," Bucky replies with a giant grin as he grabs a handful of popcorn from the bowl resting on his lap. On screen, Daniel Radcliffe enters a room where the source of noise ended up being a rocking chair moving on its own.

When the movie ends and Loki goes to pick the next one, the small box in his pocket starts to burn a little hot and feel a little heavier. Bucky ignores it as Loki hits play on **Orphan** which makes Bucky grin.

"One of my favorites," he comments happily at Loki's questioning glance.

The truth about Esther comes out and Loki's face is fucking priceless which has Bucky laughing as if they were watching a comedy movie instead and not the story of a supposed little girl with some weird crush on her adoptive father.

"Disturbing. Highly disturbing," Loki says still looking a little traumatized. "But it also explains a lot and I do not feel as disgusted as before, just a lot horrified and with possible new trust issues."

It sets Bucky off all over again, missing the next four minutes of the movie as he tries to get his laughter under control.

When the movie ends, Loki gets up and heads into the kitchen for more snacks while Bucky feels like the tiny little box in the pocket of his joggers weighs a ton. He pulls it out and opens the dark green velvet box to examine the ring while listening for Loki's approach.

The ring seemed to glint a little extra under the light from the TV and the large window and suddenly Bucky got it.

Right here, with Loki in his arms as they criticized horror movies and ate more junk food than they should, was it. Because he was with Loki and they were both being themselves and he's never wanted to do it more than right now. He didn't want to be in a stuffy suit when he proposed and right now he was in the exact opposite of a suit and tie, he was in joggers and a t-shirt that's seen better days and Loki himself was in his black silk pajamas.

"This is it," he whispers to himself a little excitedly as he gets down on one knee in front of the couch and facing the direction of the kitchen with the TV screen paused on **The Boy** in the background.

Loki was unsuspecting as he re-entered the living room with the bowl of popcorn and a bag of M&Ms, gaze on the bowl which was overflowing with their extra buttery popcorn. He looked up about a step before reaching Bucky and gasped at the scene that greeted him.

"J-James?" Loki stuttered out breathlessly as his eyes darted between the box and his boyfriend's face.

"I know this isn't the most romantic or the most cliche set up, but just bein' with you is where I'm happiest, Lo. I love you too much to be humanly possible and you take my breath away daily and it literally feels like I'm missin' a piece of myself when we're apart, which probably means we're too co-dependent but whatever," Bucky begins to say a little shakily as Loki lowers their food on the coffee table beside Bucky. "I wanted the moment to feel right, not planned days in advance and have it get cancelled because Doom is hell bent on destroying the city again." Loki chuckles, already looking misty eyed as he waits for Bucky to continue. "This moment, right here with you, it felt right to me and I probably could have planned something more romantic because you fuckin' deserve the best, but I need to do this right here and right now. Loki, I want to share the rest of my life with you, if you'll let me, so will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not sorry for the cliffhanger and you'll know why next update.
> 
> Also, of course I had to mention my absolute two favorite horror movies, The Woman In Black and Orphan. The Orphan gave me some serious trust issues, but it's such a good movie and 10 year old me was shook when I first saw it😂😂


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's that?!" The archer shouts in shock, pointing at the ring and all eyes fall on the couple, searching them until one by one their eyes widen at the ring on Loki's finger and the room erupts in chaos. "Did you guys get hitched?!"

"...Loki, I want to share the rest of my life with you, if you'll let me, so will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

"Yes," Loki chokes out after a few seconds, hiccuping afterward as tears keep streaming down his face.

Bucky's smile is the biggest he's ever seen and the ring is perfect as the super-soldier slides it into his finger. The ring is a thin silver band with dark green and gold intricate designs, simple but perfect, and obviously picked out with him in mind. It's from Asgard and Loki wonders how long Bucky's wanted to do this and if Thor had anything to do with it, because he must have known if that was the reason why they headed to Asgard in the first place.

Those were all questions he'd ask Bucky later because right now he was so incredibly happy and all he wanted to do was stay in his fiancé's arms and kiss him until the oxygen ran out from his body and left him feeling dizzy and weak. He just wanted to be with Bucky tonight and ignore the sounds of the city and feel his body burn with need.

Once the ring was in place, Bucky and Loki meet halfway, lips moving against each other softly and pouring every bit of love they could into the kiss.

"We're really doing this?" Bucky asks incredulously, his lips brushing against Loki's and teary grey/blue eyes staring into Loki's green ones.

"You will be stuck with me until our last breath," Loki reaffirms with a grin, arms around Bucky's neck, and the other with his arms around the mage's slim waist.

"That sounds like fun to me." Bucky grins as a tear slips down his face and he's closing the small gap between them to kiss Loki again.

In the blink of an eye, they go from standing upright and kissing like their lives depend on it to laying on a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor in front of the lit fireplace. The TV was now off, their movie marathon long forgotten along with their abandoned snacks on the coffee table behind them. All that didn't matter because they were getting married and the rest of the world could wait for the moment because they wanted to celebrate.

"We finally have a whole night to ourselves," whispers Bucky as he kisses his way down Loki's bare chest.

"Hmm, worked out perfectly," Loki responds with a soft moan at the end as he threw his head back against the pillows.

***

They wake up late in the morning, tangled in a single gold colored sheet and Loki laying half on top of Bucky who had a protective arm around the prince. Neither really make a move to get up, much too comfortable and peaceful in their little nest, but they missed the kids and they couldn't hide out all day. Now matter how much they wanted to because once they told everyone, they wouldn't leave the couple alone with questions.

"How'd you sleep?" Bucky asks his fiancé who smirks as he lifts himself up a bit, feeling his arms shake a little.

"Did we sleep? I do not recall doing such a thing," Loki joked and Bucky grinned as he pulled the black haired man down to kiss him.

"Might have been an hour or two, but we did have quite a celebration last night, didn't we?" Loki laughed at Bucky's words as he changed to his female form with a devious smirk. "Fuck, Lo."

"The children can wait an extra hour or two," Loki says with a quiet sigh afterwards as she sinks down on Bucky's hard length. "Need to be selfish for once."

"Let's be selfish more often," Bucky groans as he grips Loki's hips tightly and thrusts up into her.

Loki went to reply, but when she opened her mouth all that came out was a loud moan when Bucky flipped them over so now she was flat on her back and he had full control.

The news breaks out during lunch, which the entire team was in attendance for once. No one was off on missions or off traveling the world or realms, so it made telling their family a bit easier. The second Loki and Bucky, who are smiling and holing hands, enter the kitchen, Clint spots the ring quickly and can't keep his mouth shut long enough for the couple to bring it up on their own.

"What's that?!" The archer shouts in shock, pointing at the ring and all eyes fall on the couple, searching them until one by one their eyes widen at the ring on Loki's finger and the room erupts in chaos. "Did you guys get hitched?!"

"Oh my gods," Hela whispers in shock, Tony eating happily on her lap despite the sudden chaotic environment. "Did you?"

"Mom's pregnant again, I'm calling it!" Fenrir exclaims with a grin and both his parents shake their heads. "Sorry Em, looks like you won't be a big sister anytime soon."

Emilie looked up at her brother from where she was sitting in her high chair and playing with her hands instead of the little plush rattle sitting on her tray. She cooed at Fenrir and blew a spit bubble at him which made Tony and Sleipnir giggle.

"We are not married and we are not havin' another baby," Bucky explains a little scandalized, Loki's hand giving him a soft squeeze before she heads off to make her tea.

"Oh!" Steve says in realization as he looks between Loki and Bucky with wide eyes.

"You didn't get married, so I'm guessing you got engaged?" Natasha questions the couple with a raised eyebrow.

Loki, with her back to the team, simply held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers in confirmation which caused the room to erupt into chaos yet again.

"This calls for a celebration!" Thor shouts excitedly, banging one fist on the table which caused plates and silverware to rattle from the force.

"I'm sure Mean and Spooky has celebrated enough," Clint teases, looking over at Loki who scowled at the archer. "It's probably why all the kiddies spent the night on Uncle Clint's floor."

"Can we not?" Peter asks with his nose scrunched up as he grabs another sandwich from the plate in the middle.

"We need details!" Wanda says a little impatiently. "How did he propose? Was it romantic?"

Loki and Bucky told the tale of the moment, how it had all been spontaneous and how Bucky himself hadn't even known that he'd propose then and there. And maybe it wasn't what they were expecting, but it was so Bucky and Loki, and that was all that mattered. They were happy and taking the next step in their relationship, and they couldn't be any happier for the couple.

"Can I be the flower boy? Please?" Tony asks his parents who smile.

"Of course, darling," Loki replies as she leans over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Any date in mind?" Bruce asks them with a smile and the newly engaged couple shake their heads.

"Sometime in the summer, but a specific date? No," Bucky replies. "Though I do know that we need to have two weddings, the one here and the Asgardian one."

"Ahh yes," Thor agrees with a nod, smiling wide and probably already looking forward to the three day celebration. "Mother will probably go overboard with the arrangements. Loki will, after all, be her first child that weds. You know no matter how much you argue against a big celebration, that she will allow no such thing."

"I am aware, thank you," Loki tells her brother sarcastically and the kids all giggle at their banter.

"We're going to Pepper's office after this and telling her," Natasha informs Loki who nods.

Loki didn't get a chance to tell Pepper, because as soon as she stepped into Pepper's office with Emilie in her arms, the CEO was up and out of her seat excitedly. Natasha snickered behind Loki as Pepper pulled the mage into a hug.

"Oh my gosh! Hela sent me a text earlier," Pepper explains after pulling away and taking Emilie into her arms when the baby reached for her. "This is so amazing! You guys are getting married."

"Yeah, we kinda are, but there might be a small problem," Loki says seriously and Natasha closes the door to Pepper's office before the three move to sit in the small sitting area of Pepper's office. "James and I want to have a wedding here on Midgard and we have to have one on Asgard, but the thing is, on Midgard, all of my official documents are under the name of Lola and not Loki."

"Hmm, yes that could be a problem, but would you mind getting married as Lola?" Pepper questions the princess who's sitting between her and Natasha.

"Well no, but-"

"No buts," Natasha cuts in with a smirk. "Just imagine all the dresses you'll try on instead of a boring old suit. All eyes will definitely be on you that day and you know, Bucky who?"

Loki did like the idea of wearing a wedding dress. She likes being dramatic and over the top and dressing to impress. And if her and James would be having two weddings, why not go all out in her wedding as Lola?

"Someone's lightbulb turned on," Pepper teases as she tickles Emilie's side. "Are you going to want a wedding planner or do you just want to plan it yourself?"

"Unsure. There is a lot that goes into planning a wedding, but I would need to talk to James first about setting the date, first of all, and how big we would want to make the celebration," Loki explains as she hands Pepper a gold colored pacifier for Emilie who was chewing on her fingers again.

"Well, if you're looking for places for the wedding that don't include the compound or the tower, do remember that Tony's got his own private island that technically belongs to you and Bucky now until he's of age again," Pepper reminds the mage who nods.

"Perhaps. I am rather fond of weddings by the beach."

"You hear that, princess? Your mommy and daddy are getting married," Pepper coos at Emilie who giggles and reaches up to grab at Pepper's hair. "Oh you're going to look so beautiful in your dress!"

"I think Pep is more excited than you at this point," Natasha tells Loki jokingly, both laughing at the ginger.

* * *

"Happy five months, my little sunshine," Loki coos at the smiling baby laying on the bed getting a diaper change. "You are such a big girl now. You will probably be crawling soon, or if you are anything like Hela, you will skip that and go straight to walking."

Loki looks up when a tired Tony enters the room, still in his Hulk themed pajamas. He walks over to the bed and gets up, smiling at Emilie when the baby lights up and makes excited coos at his arrival.

"Still tired, darling?" Loki asks his youngest son who nods as he turns to lay on his side to face Emilie who was craning her neck to be able to see her big brother. "Well you can take a nap later, sounds good?"

"Not a baby, though," Tony argues weakly and Loki chuckles and leans down to press a kiss to his son's cheek.

"Never said you were. And taking naps does not make you a baby. Your father takes a lot of naps and I took a lot of naps when I was pregnant with Emilie."

Tony didn't reply to that, just leaned over to kiss Emilie's cheek and Loki rubbed his back. Loki finished dressing Emilie with Tony's help, before leaving Tony to look after her while he went to dispose the diaper in the bathroom.

"Mama! Look!" Tony shouts from the room not even two seconds after Loki's gone. "It's Annie!"

Loki drops the diaper halfway to the trashcan and races out of the bathroom and towards the room where Emilie was still on the bed, only instead of laying on her back, she was on her hands and knees. Tony was sitting in front of his baby sister with a big grin on his face, eyes shining with pride as Emilie babbles happily and rocks slightly back and forth as if trying to crawl but not actually making a move to do so.

"She rolled on her tummy and then got up on her hands and knees all on her own!" Tony states as he looks up at Loki whose heart was beating too fast, having thought that something had happened in the seconds that he'd turned his back on the kids.

Aside from the heart attack Loki almost had, he can't help but to smile wide at the sight of his baby girl getting ready to start crawling. It just further proved to him that she was growing too fast.

"Look at you, sunshine!" Loki coos as he goes over to sit next to Tony, Emilie smiling up at the both of them. "You will be moving in no time. Which I am not looking forward to it."

"Breakfast is ready," Bucky says as he walks into the room, eyes landing on Emilie who was still on her hands and knees and staring at her hands curiously. "Huh."

"She did it on her own, papa!" Tony shouts as he scrambles off the bed and runs up to Bucky who picks him up.

"She did?!" He asks Tony in shock before turning to look at Loki. "She did?!"

"She did," Loki replies as he picks up Emilie and walks over to join his fiance and son. "Could be crawling in no time."

"Well there's a scary thought."

"Breakfast is gonna get cold and I am starving!" Fenrir shouts from downstairs and Tony giggles as he rests his head on Bucky's shoulder. "And I'm gonna eat all of it!"

"He will do it ya know!" Peter shouts in response to his brother's statement and Loki rolls his eyes.

"Come on," Bucky says as he grabs Loki's hand and they begin to head to the kitchen.

"Just so you're all aware, I already sent in some college applications," Hela informs her family halfway through breakfast, eating with her right hand and scrolling through her phone with her left despite Bucky and Loki insisting on a no phone at the table during meals rule.

"That's great, honey!" Bucky exclaims happily. "What schools have you applied to?"

"Columbia, NYU and UCLA," Hela says casually. "My counselor says I should apply for more within the next few weeks to better my chances, but with my SAT scores, she said I had a pretty good chance at getting into one out of those three."

"That's amazing, darling. Do you know what you want to study?" Loki asks his oldest who finally puts her phone down to look at her family.

"Law, I think. We had a mock trial in one of my classes and my teacher said I'd make a good lawyer. Spencer agrees, says I'd bully the judge and scare the jury into getting my way."

"Well, whatever you want to study, just know that you have our full support." Even if it meant parting from his daughter again, Loki would support Hela in whatever school she chose in the future. Either half an hour away or halfway across the world. "And that we will be proud of you."

Hela smiles at her parents, no one commenting on the tears threatening to spill from her dark green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our first little bird is leaving the nest soon
> 
> 50 chapters down, 50 more to go...


	51. Chapter 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Our favorite stay at home dad is here!" Clint teases the super soldier who huffs, gladly handing off Emilie to the archer when the two reached out for each other.

The weekend passes easily, Bucky and Loki still on cloud nine because of their engagement and Emilie was definitely getting ready to crawl, she just was really hesitant on putting one hand in front of the other after falling flat on her face the other day.

Monday arrived with very much the same routine as always since the kids all started school, the only difference in this particular Monday is that Loki is heading back to work. Much to Bucky's horror because he was staying at home with Emilie five months after her birth and he still hadn't changed a poopy diaper so he was terrified. Very much so.

"Are you sure you can handle Emilie on your own?" Loki asks her fiancé as she sits in front of the vanity applying red lipstick and looking up at Bucky through the mirror. He was standing behind her with a wide awake Emilie in his arms chewing on her fingers and staring at her mommy. "I could always ask Natasha to-"

"No, of course I can look after my own daughter for eight hours while you head off to work," Bucky replies quickly with a slight scoff that would have sounded offended if Loki didn't know any better. It was just for show and it didn't exactly calm her nerves about leaving her baby with her father.

"I am not reassured with your lack of confidence."

Bucky rolls his eyes, but leans down to press a kiss to Loki's head, smiling at her through the mirror.

"We'll be fine, promise. And if I need anything, I can always head down to your office and bother you for a bit and show off our daughter," Bucky points out and now it's Loki's turn to roll her eyes.

"In any case, Natasha said she would be here all day and I am sure that some of the others will be around as well," Loki begins to say as she stands up from her seat and grabs her suit jacket and briefcase before continuing, "and don't forget that Hela has basketball practice today, but she said that Spencer would bring her home."

"Spencer? Should we be worried about this Spencer kid?"

"Not yet. You will know when to worry. Peter has decathlon practice after school too, said he might catch a ride with Hela and Spencer, and if Peter's staying than that means Fenrir will too."

"So I only have to worry about Tony, Sleipnir and Jor?"

"Yes. I might work late, first day back and we have to start planning the Christmas charity gala for next month, so don't wait for me at dinner."

"Gotcha. Anything else, Mrs Barnes?"

Loki turned to glare at him as she shrugged on her jacket. Emilie reaches out for Loki who smiled softly before walking over to kiss her goodbye.

"Be good to your father and try not to be so stinky today," Loki teases the five month old who giggles.

"She's conspirin' against me, I can tell."

"Love you."

"Love you too, Lo. Have a good day."

And then it was just Emilie and Bucky at home. The baby didn't seem to mind that her mother wasn't around, at least not yet, but Bucky knew it wouldn't be long before Emilie began to miss Loki.

"Wanna go see who's home?" Bucky asks his baby who looks up at him with wide eyes. "I'll take that as a yes."

Bucky made sure to grab a bottle on the way to the communal floor, not bothering with anything else since he and Loki always made sure that the communal floor was stocked with diapers, wipes and other necessities for the baby.

"Our favorite stay at home dad is here!" Clint teases the super soldier who huffs, gladly handing off Emilie to the archer when the two reached out for each other. Bucky still wasn't sure why his daughter loved the archer so much.

"Handling it so far, soldier?" Steve questions his best friend in a half serious half joking voice that irritates Bucky a bit.

"So far so good. Won't take long before Em realizes Lo isn't home, but I'm hoping she can take a nap first before we hit that bump in the road," Bucky explains as he heads for the kitchen to put the bottle in the refrigerator. "Loki didn't leave enough bottles though, so a trip might be in order around dinner."

"Working late?"

"The Maria Stark Foundation Christmas charity gala is coming up and they've got a lot to plan."

"Oh yay, I love galas," Clint mumbles sarcastically as he walks into the kitchen with Emilie.

"Then I'll make sure to tell Loki that we found a babysitter for that night."

It was a surprisingly easy morning. Emilie has her bottle an hour after Loki had left and then Bucky had changed her diaper and the baby had fallen asleep for two hours. In those two hours, Bucky had managed to clean out his weapons, trim his growing beard and contemplate a haircut. He was a little tired of having long hair and kind of felt like cutting the last remaining ties to his past as a HYDRA assassin. It'd be a big change, but he also felt like he really needed it.

Perhaps he'd even surprise Loki with the change by the time she returned from work.

* * *

Loki was in the middle of a phone call with the catering service that would be in charge of the gala next month when there's a knock on her office door and she looks up only to find James, Emilie and a scowling Jor.

Sighing quietly, Loki motioned for them to come in and close the door while she finished up the call. Emilie was wiggling around in her father's arms, excited to see her mother after such a long morning.

"Alright, thank you. Have a nice day," Loki says into the phone before hanging up and looking up at her family. James had closed the door and Jor walked over to sit on the loveseat located in a corner of the office, backpack thrown off to the side and glaring at the ground.

Loki stood up from her seat and fixed her skirt before walking over to James to take Emilie.

"Hello, my little sunshine. Are you being good to your father?" Loki asks the baby as she kisses Emilie's cheek. "Alright, what happened?"

James and Jormungand share a look, the latter looking nervous which really didn't do anything to sooth Loki's anxiety. It was just after lunch time, why was her son home from school so early?

"I got suspended for two days for starting a fight," Jor replies, well more like mumbles in hopes that his mom won't understand him, but the anger that replaces the worry says otherwise. "But it wasn't my fault! Some asshole was bothering this girl in our science class simply because she wears glasses. They call her a nerd for actually knowing the answers because they think it's funny to not know a damn thing. And she kinda reminds me of Tony, well if he were a girl."

"First of all, watch your language," Loki scolds here son, though there's no real heat behind her words because she's a little proud of her son for sticking up for someone else. "Second, there are ways of standing up for someone without resorting to violence. And third, thank you for sticking up for that poor girl."

Jor smiles as Loki walks over to kiss his forehead and Emilie pats his head as well, babbling happily.

"You are still grounded though," Loki informs the teen who nods in resignation as James sits next to him.

"It's fine, I guess."

"Also dropped by to ask what ya wanted for dinner. I can bring the kids down for awhile," James offers and Loki smiles as she leans down to peck his lips in thanks.

"Anything is fine just as long as I can spend time with my family. I might be home later than I thought. We have to find a new set of security for the event next month and with the holidays coming, it is proving harder to do," Loki explains tiredly as she sits on the armchair with Emilie in her lap.

"Well how about the Avengers for security? I mean, we're goin' anyways, might as well work. We could be dressed like normal civilians and that way no one will suspect a thing," James suggests and Loki nods.

"That sounds like a plan. I will speak with Pepper later, see what she thinks."

"Does this mean we have to go? Cause those things are boring," Jor asks his parents with a slight irritated look.

"I'm sure Hela and Pete can babysit," James suggests because yeah, it wasn't ideal to take the kids to such events where the press was in attendance. The now engaged couple tries their best to keep all seven kids out of the papers, but after Spider Man's identity was revealed, it'd proven more difficult to do so.

"Good."

Loki smiles fondly at her son before setting Emilie on the floor where James set out some toys.

Awhile later, James left to go pick up Tony and Sleipnir from school while Jor and a sleeping Emilie stayed back with Loki who was busy typing up emails and signing contracts.

"Oh, hi sweetie. Didn't know you were here," Pepper says after entering Loki's office and heading towards Jor who smiles as he stands up to hug the CEO.

"Got suspended," he tells her, sounding a little too proud of the fact and Loki rolls her eyes from her seat.

"I don't think you should be proud of that," Pepper says a little unsure as she pulls away and looks over at Loki who was giving her son a look.

"Got in a fight defending a girl from some boys who were bullying her," Loki explains and Pepper nods, conflicted with approving his actions or reprimanding him as well for the violence.

"Anyways, just came to drop these off. It's for the team so they're aware of the timeline of the event and who to expect," Pepper explains to Loki as she hands the mage a folder. "Also black tie is required so tell Clint that I will murder him if he shows up in jeans and a simple button down."

"Will do."

Pepper walks over to kiss Emilie's head gently before leaving. Tony ran in not long after, giggling quietly as he rushes over to his mommy who grinned as she picked up her son and showered his face with kisses.

"How was school, darling?" Loki asks the child on her lap who was playing with her engagement ring.

"It was okay. We're learning about the stars and planets and we have to make a project on our favorite thing about space," Tony explains as he looks up at his mother, giggling when Sleipnir rushes over and hugs both his brother and mommy.

"Really? And what are you going to do for your project?" Loki asks him after greeting Sleipnir with a loud kiss to his cheek.

"I wanna do Asgard!"

"Oh." Loki blinks in surprise, looking up at her fiancé who was smiling fondly at the three of them. "Well, I am sure your project will be the best one."

Tony smiles before hopping off her lap and heading over to Jor who ruffles his hair affectionately. Sleipnir kisses his mother's cheek before rushing over to his two brothers, careful of Emilie who was sleeping in her car seat by Loki's desk.

"He's really excited for his project," James tells his fiancé as he walks over to kiss her gently. "Talked about it the whole way here."

Loki just smiled and looked over at her sons who were looking at something on Jor's phone and giggling. At least her son could still see the beauty in the place and who was Loki to burst his bubble?

Loki's office becomes crowded two hours later when Hela, Peter, and Fenrir arrive with their take out food. Peter is the first one of his other siblings to go up and greet Loki with a hug, shrugging off the teasing from Fenrir about being a mommy's boy.

"Knock it off," Loki scolds Fenrir as she hugs Peter tightly. She understood why Peter was more openly affectionate with her and she didn't blame him. He'd already lost a lot of people in his life and now that he had such a large family, he didn't want to take anyone for granted.

Fenrir was just like Loki before a then four year old Tony came into her life. The one who didn't much care for hugs and kisses and who scoffed at such open displays. The Loki who people thought of as cold and heartless.

"How was practice?" Bucky asks as they all sit around eating.

"It was good. Our first game is this weekend," Hela replies with a large grin as she reaches over to the piles of food containers to grab more egg rolls.

"What time?" Loki asks her daughter.

"Seven. You guys are coming right? I know Uncle Thor is, he's been way too excited since I joined the team."

The other kids snicker and then Jor proceeded to tell his siblings about their father parading down the halls showing off Emilie to all the staff until Pepper had to scold him for interrupting their work day.

"This is why Pepper is not allowing bring your kids to work day," Loki points out with a raised eyebrow and Bucky huffs as he looks at Emilie who's busy chewing on her toys.

"Bummer. I was really looking forward to coming to work with mom," Fenrir says a little ironically and Tony wiggles his nose.

"I like coming to work with mommy. It's fun to see her yell at people like Aunt Pepper," Tony informs his siblings who all look at their mother.

"Mean and Spooky indeed," Fenrir agrees with Clint's nickname for their mother.

"Finish your food so you can head home and do your homework. Your father will be in charge for the rest of the evening," Loki informs the kids who all pout and nod.

Once they were all done eating dinner, Bucky quickly gathered up his kids and their trash before they all said their goodbyes to Loki who sighed into her now empty office.

As Bucky and the kids left Loki's office and headed for the elevator, they were unaware of the pair of eyes following their every move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating last week, but the store where i work opened up and we had two days of training for the new norm. my first day back at work after nearly 3 months was frightening to say the least, but i'm also sort of glad to be going back to normality, somewhat.😅😅


	52. Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, a pleasure to meet you," Bucky introduces himself as he holds his right hand out for the young man to shake and Spencer saw all the kids roll their eyes, even Emilie looked done with her father.

Bucky's still wide awake and reading a book by the time Loki gets home from work and enters their room, heels in her left hand and suit jacket in her right. She looks exhausted after her first full day back, and Bucky doesn't blame her.

"Hi, honey pie," Bucky greets her as he sets his book aside, chuckling as she scowls at the pet name. "Come here, my precious."

Loki looked torn between snapping at her fiance or ignoring him completely, but instead she just dropped her shoes and jacket before crawling on the bed towards Bucky who spread his legs so Loki could settle between them. Loki let out a sigh of relief as she laid down on top of Bucky who wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair to the side and pressing kisses to the top of her head.

"You okay?" He asks slightly worried as Loki rests her ear over his heart.

"Just tired and it is not easy being away from my family all day," Loki replies as she lifts her head to look at Bucky who smiles fondly before bringing her closer to kiss her.

"I know of a way to destress you." Bucky smirks against her lips as he brings his hands down her back, briefly squeezes her ass and eventually landing on her thighs where they slide up and slip inside her skirt until his fingers brushed against the lace of her panties.

"I was thinking more of a bath," Loki jokes as she slaps her fiance's hands away and sits up, though she starts unbuttoning her blouse, eyes locked on Bucky's the entire time. "There is less activity involved."

Yet she continued to undress in front of him until she was left completely naked before heading off to the bathroom where Bucky heard the water start. Groaning, Bucky scrambled off the bed and headed after her.

* * *

"So what are you planning for our date? If I may know," Hela asks Spencer through a video chat as she sat at her desk painting her nails while keeping up a conversation with her best friend.

"It's a secret," Spencer replies with a smile and even pretends to zip and lock his lips which has Hela laughing and shaking her head. "Do dress comfortable and warm, though. Have you told your family?"

"Not until dinner and even then I should reconsider waiting until you pick me up."

Hela looks back as her bedroom door opens and she coos when Tony walks in looking all snug and warm and sleepy. It makes her want to cuddle her baby brother all night. Even his hair was cutely messy and his little feet wore black socks with little dinosaurs all over. Hela quickly sets her stuff to the side as she motions Tony over to her side.

"Hey there little dude," Spencer greets Tony once Hela places the child on her lap.

"Hi Spencer!" Tony greets back excitedly as he grins at the camera. "When are you coming over? You promised to play Mario Kart with me."

"I did, didn't I? Well, I promise to be over soon. I gotta beat Fenrir at the game as well," Spencer tells Tony who nods happily and picks up Hela's nail polish to finish off for his sister. "Uh-"

"He's surprisingly good at painting nails, though I suspect it had to do with mom's pregnancy and how Tony would often paint her toes when she stopped being able to reach them," Hela explains with a slight shrug as she looks down to find Tony hard at work with her nails.

While Hela and Spencer keep talking, Tony's hard at work with Hela's nails, careful to not get her fingers dirty. He was too busy to hear Spencer and Hela's conversation and by the time he was done and looked up, the tablet screen was black.

"I'm done, Hela Ela," he tells his sister who smiles proudly down at him.

"Good job, Tony, and thank you very much for helping me," Hela responds as she places a kiss to the back of his head. "Now, can you keep a secret?"

"Mhm! I'm very good at it." Tony giggles as he twists around to face his sister who was smiling down at him fondly.

"Well, Spencer asked me out on a date and I said yes, because I really like him, but now I do not know what to wear. You think you can help me with that?"

"Oh yeah!"

In the end, Hela ended up wearing black skinny jeans ripped at the knees, an oversized gray cable knit sweater and black Dr. Martens. She walks out of her bathroom to show Tony who's lounging on her bed resting against the pile of pillows with Brownie curled up beside him.

"And?" Hela asks her little brother who holds up two thumbs and grins.

"You look very pretty," he tells her and she goes over to kiss his head. "Are you going to tell mommy and daddy?"

Hela didn't comment on the fact that Tony called their dad daddy instead of papa, seeing as it only happened when Tony had a really bad nightmare and was left feeling scared even long after. Which would explain his cute little self walking into her room looking all cuddly.

"At dinner and then I will leave right after."

Tony nods as he snuggles into the pillows even further and giggles as Brownie licks his face, probably having sensed his mood. Three heads turn towards the bedroom door when it opens and Peter walks in and basically wearing the exact same thing as Tony which made Hela snort.

"Mom says dinner's ready," Peter informs his siblings who nod. "Feeling better, spider baby?"

"Want Peter cuddles," is Tony's response as he makes grabby hands at Peter who grins and goes over to pick up the six year old. "Carry me downstairs?"

"As your wish, your highness," Peter says in a fake British accent. "You coming, Hela Ela?"

"Give me a minute," she says and Peter nods as he takes Tony downstairs with Brownie following after them.

Once in the kitchen, Peter set his little brother down and watched him run over to their mom who smiled and leaned down to hug him. Fenrir and Jor were bent over Fen's phone and laughing over a video while Bucky set the table. Emilie sat in her high chair and playing with a teething ring and Sleipnir reading a book.

"Is your sister coming?" Loki asks Peter who nods as he takes his usual seat, Tony taking the one next to his right after just as Hela walked in.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Fenrir asks his sister suspiciously.

"No reason, now mind your business," she replies and Tony giggles knowingly as she winks at him.

It wasn't until halfway through dinner that FRIDAY announced that Spencer had arrived and was waiting for her at the lobby.

"Why is Spencer here?" Bucky asks his daughter as she stands up.

"He asked me out on a date and I said yes, so I will be back later," Hela informs her family who all fall silent at the news, well minus Tony who kept eating happily and smiled as she kissed his forehead.

"Uh you never asked for our permission to go out, Hela."

"FRIDAY, have Spencer come up to our floor, please," Loki told the AI who replied a quick affirmative as Hela turned to glare at her mother. "We need to meet this boy first before you can go anywhere alone with him, understood?"

"What? You can't do that! Besides, Peter and Fenrir know him! They can vouch for him!"

"Uh please don't bring me into your conflict," Peter begs awkwardly and Fenrir rolls his eyes next to his brother.

"He's a nice guy. A little too nice," Fenrir informs them as he sets his phone down and Hela shoots him a thankful look.

"We still want to talk to him, Hela. We need to make sure he's aware of your curfew because you are your mother's daughter and you lie just as well as she does," says Bucky with a pointed look at both his daughter and fiance who was smirking a little proudly. "That's not a compliment, babe."

"Oh, I know," Loki replies with a shrug which makes the kids giggle.

The elevator doors open and they all look up to find Thor making his way over to them with a large grin and Hela groans as she shoots Fenrir a glare.

"I heard my dear niece is going on a date!" Thor exclaims as he walks up to Hela and places his large hands on her bony shoulders. "I came to wish her luck and meet the charming young man!"

"Could be worse," Hela grumbled just as the elevator doors open again and they all head out to greet a very nervous and scared looking Spencer Russo. "Sorry about my family."

"Uh it's no problem. My parents raised me right and I was going to ask you if I could meet them soon anyways to get their blessing," Spencer explained nervously, eyes locked on Hela and he was smiling with such fondness that made both Loki and Bucky feel better about the kid.

"Hi Spencer!" Tony greets, pushing past his brothers and running up to the teen who smiled wider and got down on one knee to hug the six year old.

"Hi little dude," Spencer greets him, pulling back and ruffling Tony's hair before standing back up to greet the rest of the family. "Hi, I'm Spencer Russo, a friend of Hela's from school."

"Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, a pleasure to meet you," Bucky introduces himself as he holds his right hand out for the young man to shake and Spencer saw all the kids roll their eyes, even Emilie looked done with her father.

"Sergeant, sir," Spencer stutters as he shakes Bucky's hand and Hela shakes her head with flushed cheeks of embarrassment.

"Knock it off, James," Loki scolds her fiance before smiling at Spencer who relaxed a bit. "Hela has spoken highly of you, Spencer, I hope you do not break my trust."

"I promise not to, ma'am. I respect your daughter too much to ever hurt her."

"Good." Loki nodded at his response and readjusted her grip on Emilie who was sucking on her fingers and staring at Spencer.

"I don't know dude, I still think you should run," Fenrir says jokingly to lighten up the mood. "The Barnes family in itself is one big, crazy mess, but the whole Avengers family? Yeah, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

Tony and Sleipnir giggled from beside their father who was playing with their hair.

"Young Spencer, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Thor says as he steps forward to shake Spencer's hand, his grip just a tad bit too tight.

"Uncle Thor, stop!" Hela exclaims in clear embarrassment as she walks forward to separate their hands. "I would very much like to leave now before my curfew."

"No worries, darling. I will extend your curfew by an extra hour. It is not a school night and you earned to have fun," Loki informs her daughter who smiles thankfully. "Just keep your phone on at all times and be responsible."

"Will do," Hela promises as she stands next to Spencer who turns his head to smile at her.

Once the two teens leave, they all head back to finish their dinner with Thor taking Hela's vacant spot to join them. With Hela out on a date, the idea of her kids growing up really hit Loki at full force.

***

Loki looks up when Bucky enters the living room and she smiles tiredly up at him. He goes over and lays down with his head on her lap, relaxing as her long fingers brush his long hair.

"I'm gonna get a haircut," Bucky tells her and Loki's fingers still their movements for a brief second before resuming their previous motions.

"You know I will support whatever choices you make, but I want you to be completely sure about this because it's a big step," Loki replies gently, a smile on her face as Bucky turns to lay on his back to look up at her.

"I know, but I've been thinking about it for awhile and I really wanna do this. I feel like the long hair is my last connection to who I was before all this. I want the change," Bucky explains and Loki smiles proudly at him before leaning down to peck his lips. "You'll go with me, right?"

"Pick the day and I will be there," Loki reassures him, looking up when the elevator doors open and Hela steps off. "How did it go?"

"As far as first dates go? It went perfect," Hela tells them with a smile as she sits between her parents on the couch after Bucky sits up. "He is the only boy in school that doesn't avoid me like the plague because of who my family is. He's aware that dating me basically implies dating the Avengers and he's not afraid of my brothers, so that's a plus."

Bucky and Loki both chuckled, though they were very glad that Spencer was such a nice kid. And it also helped that he was very aware of Hela's family and who they all were.

"So you're going out again?" Bucky asks her as Hela leans into his side and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, on Saturday. Said he'd have family over for Thanksgiving tomorrow and he'd be able to escape for a bit on the weekend."

"Alright, now go sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Loki informs her daughter who nods.

"Night," Hela whispers and heads upstairs quietly, not wanting to wake up her brothers.

Bucky pulls Loki closer to him and begins to kiss down her long pale neck. Loki simply closes her eyes and throws her head back to give him better access. The mage makes a contented hum as Bucky nibbles at the skin on her collarbone as his fingers sneak to the belt keeping her silk robe closed.

"Are we heading upstairs?" Loki wonders as the belt comes undone and Bucky opens her robe to reveal the green silk shorts and matching button down shirt.

"The kids are all asleep, I think we can take our chance here," Bucky argues as he begins to unbutton her shirt and Loki raises an eyebrow as it falls open. "FRIDAY, lights off."

The AI did as she was told, the lights turning off and letting just the natural light from the window filter in. It was enough light for them to see each other's faces and make out the shape of their bodies.

Loki watches as Bucky moves off the couch and gets down on his knees where he spreads her legs and situates himself between them. She really doesn't want to admit that doing something intimate in an open area is getting her more excited than usual, she really doesn't, but the exhibitionist in her is practically purring with excitement.

Bucky's hands grab the back of Loki's knees and they pull her to the edge of the couch where he then proceeds to remove her shorts and lace panties. Loki really hoped Bucky was keeping an ear out in case anyone walked down the stairs because as soon as his tongue slipped between her folds, she lost herself in the absolute pleasure.

***

By the next day at Thanksgiving dinner, everyone had found out about Hela's date and were asking her questions about how it went, when could they meet him and such.

"Well I wish you wouldn't meet him, but if I don't bring him over soon then I know you'll just go look for him," Hela points out as she grabs more mashed potatoes and peas.

"That's true," Clint spoke up with a mouth full of food as he points a fork at Hela who grimaces.

"Well I can't promise anything for everyone else, but I promise to not go all Captain America on him," Steve tells his niece who smiles at him.

"I will ask him when he's available to meet you guys," Hela eventually says knowing there was no way she would talk them out of meeting Spencer.

"Leave the poor girl alone," Natasha warns them. "She'll bring Spencer over when she wants and until then, none of you will stalk the poor kid, am I clear?"

They all nod reluctantly and Loki just smiles at his poor daughter who seems to relax in her seat for the first time since dinner started.

Thanksgiving dinner was always a stressful dinner because of the unusual amount of people they had gathered around a very large table in the formal dining room they only used for special occasions. Even Scott and Hope has flown in from San Francisco. Now Loki couldn't even imagine what his poor daughter was feeling at having her entire family interrogate her over her new relationship. Loki was just glad that his children had all the love and support now that they didn't before.

"Any wedding date set yet?" Hope asks Loki and Bucky to steer the conversation away from Hela and Spencer.

"Uh we've narrowed the month down to June, but no exact date set. We're still workin' on it," Bucky admits sheepishly. Making wedding plans almost always ended up with Loki and Bucky having sex which is why they haven't gotten anywhere with the planning. It was proving to be a complicated process.

"And your Asgardian wedding?" Thor questions them with a raised eyebrow.

"Two months later," Loki replies quickly. "We already head up to Asgard in August so we might as well do it then."

"Good, then I shall inform mother the next time I head up so she may begin the preparations."

Loki and Bucky share a look over Tony's head, not entirely excited about the idea, but it's not like they could plan it on top of planning the wedding here. The only problem with Frigga planning the wedding is how over the top she'll go since it's her first son that gets married.

"I bet Barton's going to be the flower girl," Fenrir teases the archer who puffs his chest out proudly.

"And I'd make a pretty damn good one!" Clint exclaims and the others snicker.

"Mama said I was gonna be the flower boy," Tony replies with a pout.

"And you will, darling, your brother is just teasing the archer as usual," Loki reassures the six year old who nods and goes back to eating his food. "You can be a waiter, Barton."

"I'll just eat the food and drink everything," Clint says happily and Bucky snorts. "Works for me."

"And any more kids?" Darcy asks, thinking she was going to spook the couple and they were all going to laugh, but the joke was on her because they actually hesitated when they answered.

"Not for now, at least," Loki says honestly and awkwardly, he could feel his children's gazes on him and it was making his skin crawl. "With Hela leaving for college next fall, and then Fen and Pete, we figured we could try having one more."

"That makes a lot of sense... surprisingly," Wanda agrees.

"You guys see that? Mom and dad area already planning on replacing us with another cute and squishy human! Unbelievable!" Fenrir exclaims playfully and it has his siblings all rolling their eyes at their over dramatic brother.

"I don't mind. Emilie's cute, anyways, and we could definitely use another sister," Peter chips in with a grin.

"Yeah! I want another baby!" Tony shouts excitedly as he looks at his parents with wide eyes. "I love babies."

"Adorable," Steve coos at the six year old who flushes.

"And not to drop a bomb on you guys, but we have been looking for a house," Bucky informs them a little hesitantly and immediately the whole room falls silent except for Emilie's little coos. "Not because we don't love living here, we do, but we want to have the whole house and white picket fence thing. We want the kids to be able to have a yard and run around with the dog, maybe two."

"His name's gonna be Gerald!" Tony shouts again.

"Darling, no more sugar for you," Loki informs his son who pouts. "But yes, we also already talked to Fury and we are stepping back from active duty. We will only help in end of the world type of situations."

"Well, while we are sad to see you guys go," Steve begins to say, earning nods from everyone else, "we are also very happy for you guys."

"Thank you, Steven."

"I think this calls for a toast," Sam chimes in and they all grab their glasses of wine, juice or soda. "To the future."

"To the future!" They all shout and even Emilie shrieks happily.

The future certainly looked bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyone interested in a one shot about hela and spencer's first date?? 
> 
> also, is anyone on zepeto ?? if so, follow me. here's my code 7KEM1W


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If she falls asleep, you get to sit on the fat man's lap," Loki snapped at his fiancé who turned to glare at him.
> 
> "I'm feeling the holiday spirit," Peter jokes and Fenrir chuckles beside him.

"Ten bucks says she cries," Peter tells Fenrir who smirks and turns to face him.

"Twenty says she'll puke on Santa," Fenrir adds and the two shake on their bet while Loki sighs beside them, probably wishing he didn't have kids.

It's the third December they come to see Santa Claus and it's Emilie's first. She's been a little sick these last few days, so Loki's guessing Fenrir will most likely get his twenty dollars. Currently the six month old was resting tiredly in her father's arms bundled up for the cold weather and getting coos from the other mothers in line. Tony and Sleipnir declared themselves too old for getting their picture with Santa, so Hela and Jor had taken them into a toy store near Santa's Workshop.

"Knock it off," Bucky grumbled as he rubbed Emilie's back after hearing her sniffle.

"If she falls asleep, you get to sit on the fat man's lap," Loki snapped at his fiancé who turned to glare at him.

"I'm feeling the holiday spirit," Peter jokes and Fenrir chuckles beside him.

Loki sighs, already tired from standing and waiting in line even though they arrived not even five minutes ago. The gala was in a week and things at work had been pretty stressful and all Loki had wanted was to stay home with his kids and have a nice day off, but Bucky just had to keep tradition going by visiting the creepy guy every December.

"Hey," Bucky says softly as he wraps an arm around the mage's waist and pulls him close, effectively snapping Loki out of his thoughts and broody mood. "When we get home, we can have Hela and Pete look after the kids and we can have a nice relaxing bath, yeah? With your favorite wine and I'll even give ya a massage."

"Are you bribing me?" Loki questions him, smiling at the blush that dusts over his fiancé's cheeks. "Throw in a good snack and I'll think about it."

"Fine, you trickster."

Loki kisses Bucky's cheek as the line began to move.

Emilie didn't cry or puke on Santa, but she did look a little terrified. Peter and Fenrir simply pouted that neither of them got their money. After the picture, they meet up with the rest of their family where Tony comes out of the toy store crying.

"What's wrong, darling?" Loki asks worriedly as he picks up his son who immediately buries his face in Loki's neck. "What happened?"

"You spoil him too much. He doesn't know the meaning of the word no," Hela says moodily and Sleipnir looks up to glare at his older sister.

"He's not crying cause he wanted that toy for himself, you giant zit!" Sleipnir shouted at Hela and the older three boys had a hard time holding back their snickers.

Even Loki and Bucky looked like they were having a hard time with the situation.

"Sleipnir, why is your brother upset?" Bucky questions the second youngest boy before he could keep arguing with Hela.

"Tony wanted to buy that toy for a Christmas present for Teddy, but Hela keeps saying that it's not for Teddy, but for Tony instead. But my Tony doesn't even like Transformers and Teddy does," Sleipnir explained with a frown. "And Hela was too busy on her phone to hear what Tony was telling her."

"She was texting Spencer," Jor tattles and Hela rolls her eyes.

"That is none of your business," Hela hisses at both her brothers.

"We told you to watch after them, not spend it on your damn phone," Loki scolds his daughter who rolls her eyes again.

"Don't roll your eyes at your mother," Bucky warns her, shifting Emilie who had fallen asleep shortly after meeting Santa.

"Anthony, darling, we will come back and buy Teddy his gift later, but we should go home for now. Your sister is sick and tired, alright?" Loki suggests as he rubs Tony's back, pressing a kiss to his head when he receives a nod. "Let's go home."

Back at the tower, things were quiet. The rest of the team had been split into two and were off on different missions. The only one to greet them upon their return had been Brownie who trailed off after Tony when he rushed up to his room. Hela was back on her phone texting and Loki was two seconds away from throwing the damn thing out the window. She'd been glued to her phone for days now talking to Spencer who was off visiting some relatives in Canada. She was getting distracted and it was really getting to Loki's nerves.

"Sleipnir, you still remember what Tony wanted to buy Teddy?" Bucky asks their son who nods happily. "Good. Boys, help your brother look for it online and buy it. Make sure to click on the express shipping or whatever."

"Yes sir!" Peter shouts, mock saluting Bucky who rolls his eyes playfully before rushing off with his brothers while Bucky and Loki head to Emilie's nursery to put their daughter in her crib.

"So now that we're free," Bucky begins to say once they enter their room and he closes the door.

"Not in the mood," Loki mumbles as he disappears into the bathroom and shuts the door after him.

~

"So when's Spencer coming back? He owes me money," Fenrir says as he throws himself on Hela's bed while Peter heads over to sit on the bench at the end of her bed.

"Don't know and why are you bothering me?" Hela asks from her window seat, back resting against a pile of fluffy pillows.

"Cause mom and dad are arguing in their room, the baby is asleep with Sleipnir guarding him and Emilie's still taking her nap."

"Stop calling Tony a baby," Peter argues, throwing a dragon plush at Fenrir who caught it easily and grinned.

"Go bother Jor or something," Hela mumbles distractedly as she keeps texting away on her phone. "And Spencer says that you're an idiot."

"My only brother in law is calling me an idiot," Fenrir cries in mock hurt.

"But it's not a lie."

Peter snickers and looks up when Bucky walks in with a sleepy Emilie in his arms.

"You kids want Italian or Japanese for dinner?" Bucky asks them.

"Sushi's gross," Fenrir tells his father with his nose scrunched up. "So Italian."

"Sushi," both Peter and Hela reply just to mess with their brother.

"I see how it is. You all hate me." He cries dramatically and Emilie perks up at the sound, eyes wide and looking at her siblings in worry.

"Don't mind them, sweetie, your siblings are all weird," Bucky tells the six month old before leaving Hela's room. "You get used to it."

"Ah?" Emilie questions her father as he heads down the stairs with her.

"Yeah, you really don't."

* * *

The night of the gala finally arrives and Loki's putting the final touches before they head out.

"We almost ready?" Bucky asks for the millionth time as he walks into their room, trying not to comment on the fact that Loki was still in her bathrobe. "Doll, have you even picked out a dress?"

"I am two seconds away from crying, stop pressuring me!" Loki shouted, voice breaking halfway through and Bucky snapped his mouth shut as he stood frozen by the door.

"The event starts in ten minutes and I really don't want to rush ya, but I kinda have to, Lo. This is what you and Pepper have been workin' on for the past month and you can't be late to your own event."

Bucky's gaze was locked on Loki's back as she sat in front of her vanity, make up and hair done and ready, but the three different dresses on the bed proved the mage's dilemma.

"I am not used to this," Loki says softly and Bucky enters the room completely and shuts the door after him before making his way over to the upset mage. "The cameras, the people, everything. I was Pepper's assistant first and now we share the workload, James."

"Well, for one thing, the cameras are going to love you," Bucky tells her, setting his hands on her shoulders, and Loki cracks a small smile. "As for the event, I'm sure you attended similar ones on Asgard, right?" Loki nods and Bucky smiles as he feels her start to relax. "You don't even have to make a speech, Lo, you'll do great. Let's make a deal."

"I'm listening," Loki purrs as she looks up at Bucky with dark green eyes.

"We arrive, get our pictures taken and look nice to make Pepper happy, we mingle for a bit and then we leave and go on a date?"

"I like the sound of that."

"Good. Now pick a dress and let's go," Bucky tells her as he leans down to kiss her forehead. "If you want my opinion, the green one looks amazing on you." He winks and leaves.

Loki looks over to the emerald green dress; a satin corset strapless gown with a high slit up the left leg.

Meanwhile downstairs, Bucky is pacing the length of their living room waiting for his fiancé while the kids complain every time their father walks in front of the TV and blocks their view.

"Why does this feel like you're going to prom?" Peter wonders with a frown, a sleepy Tony sitting on his lap and just barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Yeah, man. Looks like you're going to sweat right through your suit," Fenrir teases their father as he uses his foot to rock Emilie to sleep in her swing.

"I think it's sweet that you still get nervous when you go out with mom," Hela comforts her father with a smile, sitting up in her seat.

"I'm nervous because we should have left five minutes ago and at this rate, we're goin' to be late enough to the event that Pepper will murder me," Bucky explains to his children who all just groan at his answer.

"So much for keeping the romance alive," Jor mumbles under his breath and Sleipnir giggles from where he's sitting beside his brother.

"Anyways, have FRIDAY get us if there's an emergency. We'll have our comms with us all night," Bucky reminds the kids, coming to a stop in front of them. "In case of FRIDAY being taken down, get to the safe room and call us, don't play hero unless you absolutely need to. Tony and Sleipnir, bed in an hour, got it?"

"Got it," Sleipnir replies seeing as Tony had finally fallen asleep against his brother.

"There's two bottles in the refrigerator for Emilie and in case that's not enough, there's formula in the cupboard. No parties and no friends over, understood?"

"Yes sir," the older kids all reply.

"Dad, we'll be fine," Hela reassures him with a smile.

"I know, and I trust you kids, but this is the first time you're staying completely alone in the tower and frankly, I'm nervous."

"Really? Couldn't tell," Peter says sarcastically as he arranges Tony into a more comfortable position.

Before Bucky could keep reminding the kids of their duties for tonight, the sound of heels reached their ears and they turned around to see Loki enter the room, a big black coat covering most of her dress but Bucky could already feel his mouth watering at the sight of her.

"We may go now," Loki informs Bucky who nods dumbly, vaguely hearing their kids snicker in amusement.

He really didn't care because Loki looked like a fucking goddess and he was low key thinking about skipping the event all together.

"Alright you crazy kids, have fun," Peter tells them with a grin.

"Don't come back too late," warns Hela in between chuckles.

"And be safe, we don't need another baby," Fenrir adds and Loki smirks and drags Bucky away before he can ground them all.

Once in the elevator, Bucky crowds Loki up against a wall and grins down at her. Her red lips are stretched into a grin, green eyes looked like they were glowing and her long black hair was pulled into a low bun with a few loose curls framing her face.

"How about a quickie right here?" Bucky suggests, hand already on her thigh where the slit has revealed it.

"No. Besides," Loki begins to explain in a low tone, arms coming up to wrap around his neck, "the teasing and build up is the best part."

Bucky frowns, resigned, before leaning down to peck her lips. Loki winks at him just as the elevator doors open and they step out.

~

"You're late," Pepper tells the couple after they walk through the sea of reporters and head inside where the main event is being held.

"We apologize, but we have seven children," Loki explains vaguely and Pepper nods in understanding, looking slightly less angry.

"Alright. Dinner is about to be served and then afterwards I will make a speech and then the auction," Pepper lists off as she looks at her phone.

"Wait, auction?" Bucky asks confused as he stares between both women who give him a look. "Right the auction."

"Further proves to me that you don't pay attention to when I talk about work," Loki snaps at him before walking off.

"It's been a long day," Bucky excuses himself before heading off to find Steve.

The event was going great. The other Avengers were all stationed around the place keeping an eye out on things while Pepper and Loki made sure the event itself ran smoothly.

"You've been staring at Loki all night," Steve points out as he looks over to where his best friend is looking at Loki who was talking to a tall blonde older man in a suit.

"Can you blame me? I'm not the only one who thinks she looks gorgeous tonight," Bucky replies moodily, scowling as Loki laughs at whatever the man's said.

Steve looks way too amused as he leans against the bar and takes a sip of his drink. He sits up straight though when the man goes to put a hand on Loki's waist, but she steps back and Sam is immediately by her side.

"Would it be too early if we left? I want her away from these pigs," Bucky asks angrily as he takes a shot of tequila before setting the empty glass on the countertop.

"What's the point if you leave? Not like you're going home," Clint points out as he joins the two with a drink. "Go dance with her instead of glaring down every old man that approaches her."

"Assert your dominance," Steve teases and Bucky glared at his friends before marching off towards Loki and Sam who seemed to be having a pretty serious conversation.

"Is something wrong?" Bucky asks them.

"The security outside escorted two men out. They seemed to be Russian because that's all they spoke in," Sam informs Bucky who nods. "They were caught trying to sneak into the surveillance room."

"Should we be on the lookout for more?" Loki wonders as she takes Bucky's hand and be squeezes it in reassurance.

"Wanda and Nat are doing rounds right now, but we'll keep you updated."

"Thanks Sam," Bucky tells the man who smiles at the pair before leaving. "You wanna dance?"

"Sure," Loki replies and the two head out to the dance floor where a few couples were swaying along to the soft music. "I have felt you glaring for the past ten minutes."

"I can neither confirm or deny that statement. You just look so hot and-"

"Had they touched me, they would be on their way to Hel, Barnes. Besides, I need to make nice with them. They are donating millions of dollars for all the sick little kids."

Bucky pouts as he places his hands on her waist while her arms go around his neck. She's looking up at him with sparkling green eyes and a soft little smile on her face. A few camera flashes went off, but Bucky couldn't bring himself to care if they would be on the front page of every gossip site the next morning.

"If I recall correctly, you promised me a date?" Loki wonders as her fingers reach up to play with his short hair.

"Ya wanna ditch this and go now?"

Loki smirked and leaned up to press a soft kiss to Bucky's lips before pulling away, intent on going to grab her coat when the chaos started. Masked and heavily armed men stormed into the place from all over, making the guests shout in fear. Loki looked back at Bucky who nodded and was barking orders at the others before one of the men took to the stage to speak into the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for this brief interruption, but may I have your attention please?" The man on stage asked as he looked around the room and Loki couldn't help but frown at the familiarity of the voice. The crowd was still in a panic, so obviously they weren't really paying attention to the man who grew impatient and irritated quickly. Shots rang through the air, silencing everyone who turned to the stage where the man now had his gun pointed at the roof. "I said, I wanted your attention!"

"SHIELD's on its way," Bucky whispers in Loki's ear, one hand on her back and eyes trained on the man standing on the stage.

"We need to control this situation now. This room is full of millionaires and valuable items waiting to be auctioned off," Loki whispers back as her eyes dart around the room looking for a weak point where they could start to evacuate the guests, but there were men stationed at every inch of the place, including the hall that lead to the bathrooms.

"Thank you," the man on the stage said in a very fake cheerful tone. "I heard you like giving away your money to charities, so let's not let all the precious money go to waste and instead I demand that you hand it over and no one will get hurt. But first how about a word from our hosts?"

Suddenly there was a hand wrapping tightly around Loki's arm and tugging her away from Bucky and another appeared behind Bucky with a gun pointed at his temple.

"Such a lovely face, it's so good to see you again," the man on the stage tells Loki as he helps her up.

"You worked for Pepper and I," Loki states, voice neutral and flexing her fingers as her seidr started to flow through her fingers.

"And yet you never bothered to learn my name." The man shakes his head as he steps into Loki's personal space and looks her up and down. "Such a pretty lady with such ugly and rotten insides. You stuck up, bitch."

Loki smiles coldly as she gets up in his space, dagger appearing in her right hand that she attempts to plunge into him, but his reflexes are fast and his hand catches Loki's wrist in a bruising grip. The mage gasps in pain and goes to bring her other hand up to use her seidr against him when Steve's voice comes through the comms.

"Loki, stand down for now. We have a plan and I'm going to need you to play the part of a helpless victim for now," he says and Loki makes a small noise to indicate she heard but that the man holding her would interpret as a pained noise. "Wait for Natasha's signal."

"Give us your money, now!" The guy shouted as he pulled Loki with her back pressed flush against his front and a gun pointed at her temple as everyone began to scramble with their wallets and purses. "Jewelry and anything of value as well. Come on people! We don't have all night!"

"Why the hell are we waitin?" Bucky hissed angrily through the comms and Loki tried not to react, gaze looking for her fiancé in the panicked crowd.

"Because we are outnumbered, they are seriously armed and could even have bombs. We would be risking a lot of civilian lives if we act blindly. We need SHIELD to guide us from the outside," Natasha responded angrily and Loki spotted the blonde spy with Pepper in the back of the room. "We need to handle this the way it is, a hostage situation."

"Nat's right. We can't go in with our fists," Sam chimes in. "We need to be smart about this."

"Mean and Spooky would then get caught in the cross fire and I don't really want to get haunted by her ghost," Clint adds in hopes of lighting up the situation and Loki had to bite back her reply.

The sound of a gunshot ringing through the room cut off their banter and Loki was quick to locate the area where the sound came from in time to see a woman drop dead from a bullet hole in her head. The room erupted into chaos once more and the guy holding Loki growled in annoyance as he began to tug her off the stage.

"Screw SHIELD, we need to act now!" Bucky shouts.

"I'm gonna need your thumbprint, sweets. Seems like these morons are going to ruin my plans and I really need those items you were planning to auction off," the guy tells Loki as he shoves her down the stairs where she stumbles and nearly falls flat on her face. "And maybe I'll even get a peek at what you're hiding under that dress."

Loki scowled and had to clench her hands into fists to keep from lashing out with her seidr. Whatever they were planning, she hoped they acted quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the villain for this chapter was actually mean to be Zemo wanting to take revenge for what happened to his family in Sokovia, but I got blocked so have a no name !!
> 
> also, a father's day one shot with the barnes family has been posted after i realized that i've never had them celebrate father's day, so if ya want to go read that click on the "don't you ever grow up" link below :)


	54. Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I missed you," Tony says softly as he hugs Gerald tightly and Brownie settles at the foot of the bed facing her humans. "And it's almost Christmas."

"Where are you going?!" Hela shouts as she follows her brother up to his room. "You can't go in there, Peter! The Avengers are there and they will handle this situation!"

"Our mother's one of the hostages in that place, Hela! Like hell I'm just going to sit here and lose another parent!" Peter shouted angrily as a tear rolled down his cheek and he turned to face his older sister whose gaze softened as she wrapped her arms around him. "I can't loose more people, Hela. I can't."

"As the older sister, I have to look out for you, Pete," Hela says softly as she pulls away. "But Spider-Man doesn't technically have any spider siblings to stop him."

Peter grins and kisses her cheek before rushing off to get ready while Hela is left standing there wondering if she made the right call. Before she could call him back to try and convince him to stay, Emilie began to cry from the nursery and Hela rushed off to see her little sister.

At the gala, the guy was leading Loki at gunpoint to the conference room where the items were being held. Loki played the part of a scared hostage perfectly well, tears actually rolling down her cheeks as the end of the man's gun kept digging into her back, his breath ghosting against her neck.

"Open the door," he ordered and Loki's right hand came up to place her thumb on the scanner which unlocked the door, and opened it. "Thank you, though I am a little upset I didn't have to use other incentives with you. And don't try anything stupid, I have a bomb strapped to my chest and I will blow us up if you so much as think about leaving, understood? I know the Avengers are here and you, sweets, are my ticket out of this place."

"How many more bombs are there?" Loki asks to subtly warn the others. The sharp intakes of breath and various curse words that follow indicate that they are now aware of the situation.

"Enough to make this place disappear and kill everyone in it and within a five mile radius, so think twice before you act."

The man gripped Loki's arm again and shoved her into the room, causing her to trip over her long gown and grunt at the force. She needed to think and be precise with her next moves. If she moved to slow, they could all die tonight.

 _"Anyone think this guy is bluffing?"_ Barton asked through the comms, grunting as the sounds of a fight was heard through the other end. _"He wasn't able to even give an estimated number of bombs."_

 _"Loki-"_ Steve begins to say, but Loki cuts him off.

"I understand," Loki replies shakily to both Steve and the man.

She takes in a deep breath and musters enough seidr to shove the man away from her and send him crashing across the room and through a wall. As suspected though, he had no bomb because the man was up in a second and rushing at Loki with anger plain on his voice.

"There are no bombs!" Loki informs the others as she dodges a punch from the guy.

 _"Start evacuating the area quickly, then!"_ Steve barks orders from the other end. _"Someone get to Loki's location, stat!"_

 _"I'm on my way, Cap!"_ Came a reply from the last person Loki had ever expected. It was Peter.

Her distraction cost her because the man got a good punch to her face and sent her crashing against the chairs around the table. The arm rest of one of the chairs dug into her side when she crashed into it, making her groan in pain as she landed on the ground.

"Hey, butthead!" Her son shouted and Loki could only sigh, a mixture of both relief and disappointment.

The man turned to find Spider-Man in the doorway, and aimed his gun at the teen who was quick to dodge the bullet heading his way thanks to his Spidey Senses. Loki was quick to get up despite the ache in her ribs and throbbing pain on her face, bringing a shield up in front of her and Peter as the man fired his gun again.

"You are in so much trouble," Loki hisses at her son.

"I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing," Peter argued back as he looked over at his mother who looked the complete opposite of how she'd left the tower.

Her hair was a tangled mess from where it had fallen off its bun, her lipstick was smudged and smeared with blood from the cut on her bottom lip. Her dress was ripped at the bottom and there was a dark bruise blossoming on her right cheek. If Peter had been angry before, now he was furious.

"Well you should have stayed with your siblings."

"And wait to hear from the news? To find out whether you and dad are dead or not?"

Loki's eyes softened and she gave in, but she warned him that the conversation was not over as the sound of footsteps neared the door. While Peter took care of the thug in front of them, Loki took care of the three that appeared behind them.

Despite having never actually fought together, Peter and Loki fought together almost perfectly. They complimented each other's moves and Peter used Loki's dagger when it was knocked out of the mage's hand and landed in his. By the time Bucky found them, the two had knocked three of the men unconscious and the other was tangled in Peter's webs on the wall.

"James," Loki cries in relief as she throws herself into her fiancé's arms. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but what about you guys?" He asks as he motions Peter over and brings the teen into a hug, squished between him and Loki.

"We're fine."

"Yeah! You should have seen mom! She totally kicked ass!" Peter exclaims as he pulls away, the whites of his mask wide in his excitement.

"I am going to be kicking yours for being here. Do you not know how dangerous the situation is?! You had no idea of what was really going on in here, Peter. There could have been actual bombs," Loki reprimands her son, voice laced tight with fear and exhaustion now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

"You should have stayed back with your siblings, Pete. We had no idea how extensive this situation was. What if they needed you?" Bucky asks his son who removes his mask and looks like a kicked puppy. "We would have called you if we needed you."

"I know, I just- I got scared. I didn't want to sit and wait until we got the call about you guys being dead," Peter confesses quietly.

Loki pulls her son into her arms and just holds him tight.

***

"You sure you're okay?" Bucky asks once they're in their bedroom hours later, the sun just starting to peek through the horizon.

"Exhausted, but fine," Loki mumbles as she goes up to her vanity to remove every piece of jewelry and make up from her face.

Bucky stepped up behind her and unzipped her dress. Their eyes locked through the mirror as Loki's dress fell to the floor in a heap, leaving her in just the black lace panties and strapless lace bra. He wraps his arms around her waist from behind and just holds her tight, chin resting on her right shoulder.

"No lies, Mischief," he tells her quietly. "It's not everyday you're held at gunpoint. The event you worked so hard to make perfect got ruined and our son nearly got shot."

"When he said he had a bomb strapped to his chest, and we had no idea if he was bluffing or not, I felt terrified," Loki confessed as she leaned back against Bucky. "I didn't want to leave my children motherless, especially not Pete. He would not be able to handle losing another parent, much less the both of us."

"I know. Why do you think I agreed to stepping down from active duty? I didn't want our kids to have to grow up without us. Peter's lost so many people in his life, Tony's getting a second chance to grow up and losing us so young would defeat the purpose and your kids, Lo, God those kids have been through enough in their lives." Bucky's hold on her tightened just a tiny bit and he buried his face into her neck.

"I am not even upset the event got ruined. I am just upset we did not see this coming and that three people died while they were meant to be under our protection."

"I know, but we can't save everyone," Bucky whispers as he looks back up to look at Loki through the mirror once more, only this time his eyes were red and watery.

"I know," Loki whispers back before patting his hands. "Let's get in bed."

Bucky didn't even comment how she worded the phrase. She didn't mention anything about sleep or at least try to get some sleep because they both knew that wasn't going to be possible. Loki changed into one of Bucky's old shirts before slipping under the covers next to him where he lay on his back and just stared at the ceiling.

Their bedroom door opened and Loki looked over to see Tony wander in with Gerald and Brownie in tow. Loki smiled tiredly and motioned for their son over. Tony quickly climbed up on the bed and settled between his parents. Bucky turned on his side with a smile and tapped Tony's little nose which made him giggle.

"Why are you up so early?" Loki asks her son. "It's not even six."

"I missed you," Tony says softly as he hugs Gerald tightly and Brownie settles at the foot of the bed facing her humans. "And it's almost Christmas."

The two adults chuckled at their son's enthusiasm for the holiday. They were about a week away from Christmas and the kids would be out of school soon, which meant they'd be making their trip to the compound to spend the holidays upstate. The kids were all extra excited for the holiday this year since it was Emilie's first and they wanted to make it as special as they could.

"You have Teddy's present all ready to go? I'm taking you up to see him this weekend," Bucky asks Tony who nods excitedly before snuggling into his mom. "Good. Now, go back to sleep, it's still way too early to be awake."

Tony only made a small noise of agreement as his eyes closed and a minute later he was fast asleep. Loki followed not long after, but Bucky was unable to close his eyes without seeing the man pointing his gun at Loki's head. Part Jotun or not, a bullet to the head could still kill her and Bucky had come too close to losing the love of his life. He didn't ever want to experience something like that again. Not with Loki and certainly not with any of his children.

Bucky stayed in bed, even long after the sun had fully come up, just staring at Loki and Tony until the bedroom door opened and Hela stepped in with a wide awake Emilie in her arms.

"Sorry to bother you, but Emilie's hungry and she doesn't want formula," Hela told her father who nodded as he took the six month old from his oldest.

"Are the others up?" Bucky asks her as he reaches over to shake Loki awake while Emilie stared down at Tony curiously.

"Eating breakfast right now, even Peter."

"Thank you for looking after them."

Hela smiles and then leaves the room with Brownie rushing off after her. Loki takes Emilie from Bucky before heading off to the nursery to feed her. Tony was still fast asleep, laying on his stomach and face nearly buried in Gerald's fur. Bucky shook his head fondly and covered his son with the blankets before getting out of bed.

He headed to the bathroom where he used the toilet and brushed his teeth before changing into clean clothes. Bucky makes sure Tony is still asleep before heading into the nursery where Loki is sitting on the rocking chair feeding their daughter. She looks up when Bucky enters and smiles tiredly.

"Is Anthony still asleep?" She asks, looking down at Emilie who was starting to fall asleep.

"Yeah, don't think he'll be wakin' up anytime soon," he replies as he leans down to peck her lips and kiss Emilie's head. "She almost done?"

"More like I'm almost done." Loki sighs. "This is probably the last time I get to breastfeed her. I'm all out."

"Right when you said you'd stop," he teases and Loki rolls her eyes. "I'm gonna go check on the kids and then I'm heading down to see Steve, see what news they have."

Loki nods and Bucky leaves the room with one final kiss.

***

On Christmas morning, the entire family is woken up quite early to open presents. Just like the last two years, Thor and the children are all wearing matching pajamas and no one even says anything anymore. Even Emilie had joined the tradition, just smiling happily from Peter's lap as they all sat around the tree. She was playing with a bow from one of the presents and waving it around happily. Out of everything she'd gotten, she'd latched onto that bow instead.

"We should just get her a whole bag next year," Bucky suggests as he takes a sip of his coffee as he sat on the floor between Loki's feet.

"And have her resent us every Christmas after? I don't think so," Loki replies as he runs his fingers through Bucky's short and messy hair.

"She's half Bucky, I'm sure she'll thank you for the rest of her life that you got her a whole bag of bows," Steve teases as he sits on the floor beside Bucky and Loki snickers.

"I need a whole new family," Bucky mumbles as he rests his head on Loki's knee, eyes glued to the kids who were all laughing and throwing gift wrapper at each other.

"Strange is still single, I am sure I can remind him of the good times we had," Loki points out playfully and Steve has to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"So is Yelena."

"She still likes you, she is nice to the kids and they like her, so she's a great choice," Loki agrees.

"I don't like Strange," Bucky replies and Steve is really, really confused.

"Tough luck."

"Are you guys planning on breaking up or something? I'm so confused," Steve asks them and in return, he gets a matching set of scowling looks.

"Here's one last present for the Barnes kids!" Clint shouts as he and Sam walk in with a box with holes and Loki and Bucky really don't like where this is going.

"Another one?!" Sleipnir exclaims happily as the two men set the box on the ground and the rest of the team crowd around to see.

Hela and Fenrir open the box and the kids all gasp, eyes going wide and Loki and Bucky _really_ don't like it.

"Oh my God!" Peter shouts as Jor reaches in and pulls out a Golden Retriever puppy. "Another dog!"

"My wish came true!" Tony shouts and Emilie giggles excitedly as she reaches a hand out to touch the excited puppy.

"Because seven kids, a dog and a husband isn't enough," Loki mumbles grumpily and Steve snorts as the kids all thanks Clint and Sam.

"Look at him! He's so happy to join the family," Clint teases Bucky and Loki who turn their matching deadly glares at him. "Relationship goals."

"What are you kids going to name him?" Natasha asks the kids with a smile as she watches the puppy go around sniffing and licking them while wagging his tail.

"Cupcake!" Tony suggests and all of his siblings shake their heads. "Cookie?"

"Forget the food, Tiny T," Fenrir tells his baby brother who pouts. "He needs a strong name, like a warrior's name."

"I hear Thor is a strong warrior's name," Thor suggests happily and Jane, who's sitting beside him, sighs and shakes her head.

"Well, mom does say you're like a puppy," Jor replies jokingly as he looks over at his uncle who in turn glares at his younger brother.

"I have said no such thing," Loki defends himself, the picture perfect look of innocence that had everyone snorting at. Thor just gives him a look that makes Loki sigh. "Well, perhaps I mentioned it once." A glare. "Fine, you're like a giant puppy. I could just add the ears and a tail if you wanted."

"Be nice," Bucky scolds his fiance, though there was a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's Christmas, doll, at least wait until tomorrow."

"Fair enough," Loki agrees as he sends his brother a smirk. Thor looks torn between being afraid or being angry.

"I like Hercules," Peter tells his siblings.

"How about Ares?"

"Might as well name him Hades," Hela mumbles as she sets the puppy on her lap before turning to face her parents. "Was it this hard naming us?"

"You have no idea," Loki replies with a slight scowl. "Your biological father actually wanted to name you Hertha."

The boys snickered at their sister's would have been name while Hela scowled as she looked down at the puppy.

"I like Hercules," Tony says as the puppy heads his way, backing up slightly when he sees Brownie already curled up on the six year old's lap. Brownie's head was held high as she eyed the new addition to the family like he was just some lowly peasant which had Loki smirking to himself.

"Or we could name him Thor and change Brownie's name to Loki," says Clint in between bouts of laughter, eyes widening when no sound came from his mouth before looking over at a smug Loki.

"Lo-"

"No, this is an improvement," Natasha interrupts Bucky, smirking at the archer who crossed his arms across his chest.

"Aye, I very much think this is an improvement for Barton," Thor adds and the others laugh.

"I like it," Wanda agrees in between giggles and even Vision was joking along, nodding his agreement.

"I really do need a new family," Bucky mumbles to himself, wincing as Loki tugs on his hair a little too hard.

"So do we have a name?" Sam asks the kids who were busy in a team huddle with their new puppy in the middle.

"Hercules," they all said together and the newly named puppy barked once, looking around the room excitedly and apparently agreeing with his new name.

"Welcome to the family, Hercules," Bucky tells the puppy as he rushed over to him, smiling as he scratched the puppy's head.

After presents were opened and the area was cleaned up, the Barnes family all headed to their wing of the compound with both Brownie and Hercules trotting in front of them and the children all carrying their stacks of presents. As usual, the others had gone overboard with gifting their children stuff and Loki was sure that at least half of it would be forgotten in a week's time. Especially with Emilie who was chewing the ear of her new stuffed bunny.

"We have a good Christmas this year?" Bucky asks the kids once they return to the living room after dropping off their gifts in their rooms, still in their pajamas and showing no signs of wanting to change.

"The best!" Tony and Sleipnir shouted as they played with Brownie and Hercules on the floor.

"I want to watch a movie," Fenrir informs his family as he sits in the lone armchair and pulls a throw blanket out of the storage basket next to the chair.

"Are we officially declaring this a lazy day?" Bucky asks his children who all cheer. Emilie looked at them with wide blue eyes before she too squealed in excitement and giggled when Loki kissed her cheek. "Alright, let's settle in and be the lazy squad."

Peter wrinkled his nose before snatching Tony off the ground and cuddling with his spider baby on the sectional.

FRIDAY blacked out the windows as a movie started to play, the fire keeping the room nice and warm while outside snowed at a steady pace.

"Merry Christmas, honey pie," Bucky mumbles against Loki's cheek as the two sit cuddled up together while Emilie now slept in her bassinet beside them.

"Merry Christmas, lollipop," Loki replies back with a sweet smile, batting his eyelashes at Bucky who laughed and pulled his fiance closer.

"That's the spirit!"

"Shh!" The kids all turn to glare at their parents who stick their tongues out at them in retaliation.

"Go be nasty somewhere else," Fenrir told them and Hela laughed before reaching over to hit the back of her brother's head.

"Don't make us ground you on Christmas," Bucky warns his son who grumbles as he holds Sleipnir tighter to himself which made the child complain until the hold loosened. "I love having authority."

Loki rolled his eyes but said nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got a baby yoda plush, the only exciting thing that's happened to me all week😂😂

**Author's Note:**

> Updated when possible :)


End file.
